Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Embryonic development is driven by dynamic protein networks, yet how these dynamics shape morphogenesis remains poorly understood. Somitogenesis, the rhythmic segmentation of vertebrate embryos, is controlled by signalling gradients and oscillations in the presomitic mesoderm (PSM), but the underlying protein dynamics remain largely unknown. Here, we combine microfluidic synchronisation of mouse embryo tails with quantitative proteomics and transcriptomics to resolve spatiotemporal protein dynamics during somitogenesis. We identify proteins with dynamic expression during somitogenesis and reveal an antiparallel, dynamic R-Spondin/LGR signalling pattern that explains how Wnt oscillation amplitude increases despite declining Wnt ligand levels in the anterior PSM. Dynamic ligand expression is validated in mouse gastruloids, and perturbation of ligand dynamics reduces oscillation amplitude and impairs somite formation. Together, our findings identify R-Spondin as a dynamic amplifier of Wnt signalling oscillations and provide a mechanistic framework for understanding how protein dynamics regulate mammalian tissue patterning.
Source: Nature Communications
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $6,990
Awards: Cryo-electron microscopy of DNA repair complexes, G315159858, G5261598906, Deciphering lineage specification during early embryogenesis using multi-layered proteomics, Signaling dynamics in the control of cell proliferation and differentiation during development and homeostasis, Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, Towards a mechanistic understanding of the segmentation clock, G985207216
OpenAlex ID: W4414038784