Work

BMP signaling regulates dorsal skeletal growth in the sea urchin embryo

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: The development of the elaborate, calcified endoskeleton of sea urchin embryos is a model for understanding the dynamic nature of developmental gene regulatory networks and the control of biomineralization. While several signaling pathways have been shown to regulate gene expression and biomineral formation by sea urchin skeletogenic cells, important gaps in our understanding remain. Here, we focused on signals that regulate skeletogenesis along the dorsal-ventral axis of the late-stage embryo. We used a specific inhibitor of Type I BMP receptors, K02288, to show that BMP signaling regulates skeletal growth selectively in the dorsal region. K02288 treatment led to dorsal skeletal defects and inhibited the expression of genes typically expressed specifically in the dorsal skeletogenic cells, including biomineralization genes. Using RNA sequencing, we identified genes that were uniquely downstream of either the BMP or a ventral signaling pathway (the VEGF pathway) at late developmental stages and genes downstream of both pathways. Our findings establish BMP signaling as a key pathway regulating dorsal skeleton formation and show that BMP signaling functions in concert with VEGF signaling to define the dorsal-ventral axis of the skeleton.

Source: Development

DOI: 10.1242/dev.205344

Authors: William B. Douglas, Charles A. Ettensohn

Institution: Carnegie Mellon University

Language: English

Topic: Developmental Biology and Gene Regulation

Subfield: Molecular Biology

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Funders: Carnegie Mellon University, National Institutes of Health

Awards: Mechanisms of repressive interactions between developmental gene regulatory networks, G6106031793