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A self-generated Toddler gradient guides mesodermal cell migration

Authors: 
Stock J, Kazmar T, Schlumm F, Hannezo E, Pauli A
Citation: 
bioRxiv. 2021;[preprint] doi:10.1101/2021.12.16.472981
Abstract: 
The sculpting of germ layers during gastrulation relies on coordinated migration of progenitor cells, yet the cues controlling these long-range directed movements remain largely unknown. While directional migration often relies on a chemokine gradient generated from a localized source, we find that zebrafish ventrolateral mesoderm is guided by the uniformly expressed and secreted protein Toddler/ELABELA/Apela, acting as a self-generated gradient. We show that the Apelin receptor, which is specifically expressed in mesodermal cells, has a dual role during gastrulation, acting as a scavenger receptor to generate a Toddler gradient, and as a chemokine receptor to sense this guidance cue. Thus, we uncover a single receptor-based self-generated gradient as the enigmatic guidance cue that can robustly steer the directional migration of mesoderm through the complex and continuously changing environment of the gastrulating embryo.
Epub: 
Not Epub
Organism or Cell Type: 
zebrafish
Delivery Method: 
microinjection