Researchers define cell pathway critical to embryonic development
The regulation of cell movements are essential for the proper development of embryos, and defects in the process can result in a variety of birth defects, including spina bifida and cleft palate, according to a report by researchers at the University of Colorado Denver and three collaborating institutions.
The findings of the research report, titled “p38 and a p38-Interacting Protein Are Critical for Downregulation of E-Cadherin During Mouse Gastrulation,” appeared in the June 2 issue of the scientific journal Cell. Researchers from the University of Colorado Denver, the Sloan-Kettering Institute, The Scripps Research Institute, and the Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine co-authored the report.
“ An important step in the regulation of cell movements is to loosen the binding of cells to one another,” agreed Irene Zohn, PhD and Lee Niswander, PhD, lead authors of the report. “This transition is required to allow embryonic cells to move.”
Through their research, Niswander, Zohn and colleagues defined a functional pathway that regulates the transition of cells from non-motile to motile behaviors during very early development. Defects in the control of these early cell movements can result in problems in the formation of multiple organs during fetal development.
For more information, and to obtain a complete copy of the report, contact Heidi Hardman, press officer, Cell Press, at hhardman@cell.com or at (617) 397-2879.
