Purpose.: Dense innervation of the cornea is important for maintaining its homeostasis and transparency. Although corneal nerves have been well studied in adults, little known about mammalian during development. This study provides a detailed profile at various stages mouse Methods.: Mouse heads corneas were collected development including embryonic days (E)12.5 to E16.5, postnatal (P)0, P10, three weeks after birth, adult. Corneas immunostained with an anti-neuron–specific β-tubulin...

Unidirectional airflow in the avian lung enables gas exchange during both inhalation and exhalation. The underlying developmental process how it deviates from that of bidirectional mammalian are poorly understood. Sampling key stages with multiscale 3D imaging single-cell transcriptomics, we delineate morphogenic, molecular, cellular features accommodate unidirectional chicken lung. Primary termini hyper-elongated branches undergo proximal-short distal-long fusions, forming parabronchi for...

Neural crest cells arising from different rostrocaudal axial levels form sets of derivatives as diverse ganglia, cartilage and cornea. These variations may be due to intrinsic properties the cell populations, environmental factors encountered during migration or some combination thereof. We test relative roles versus extrinsic by challenging developmental potential cardiac trunk neural via transplantation into an ectopic midbrain environment. then assess long-term survival differentiation...

Defects affecting tissues of the anterior segment (AS) eye lead to a group highly debilitating disorders called Anterior Segment Dysgenesis (ASD). Despite identification some causative genes, pathogenesis ASD remains unclear. Interestingly, several ciliopathies display conditions AS. Using conditional targeting Ift88 with Wnt1-Cre, we show that primary cilia neural crest cells (NCC), precursors most AS structures, are indispensable for normal development and their ablation leads including...

Background: During early development, avian embryos are easily accessible in ovo for transplantations and experimental perturbations. However, these qualities of the embryonic model rapidly wane shortly after day (E)4 when embryo is obscured by extraembryonic membranes, making it difficult to study developmental events that occur at later stages vivo. Results: In this study, we describe a multistep method involves initially windowing eggs E3, followed dissecting away membranes E5 facilitate...

Purpose: Defects in neural crest development are a major contributing factor corneal dysgenesis, but little is known about the genetic landscape during development. The purpose of this study was to provide detailed transcriptome profile and evaluate changes gene expression mouse Methods: RNA sequencing used uncover transcriptomic periocular mesenchyme (pNC) isolated at embryonic day (E) 10.5 corneas E14.5 E16.5. spatiotemporal several differentially expressed genes validated by situ...

Trigeminal sensory innervation of the cornea is critical for protection and synthesis neuropeptides required normal vision. Little known about axon guidance during mammalian corneal innervation. In contrast to chick where a pericorneal nerve ring forms via Npn/Sema signaling, mouse axons project directly into presumptive without initial formation an analogous ring. Here we show that development cornea, Npn1 strongly expressed by trigeminal ganglion whereas Npn2 at low levels. At same time...

During development, cells aggregate at tissue boundaries to form normal architecture of organs. However, how are segregated into precursors remains largely unknown. Cornea development is a perfect example this process whereby neural crest in the periocular region prior their migration and differentiation corneal cells. Our recent RNA-seq analysis identified upregulation nephronectin (Npnt) transcripts during early stages where its function has not been investigated. We found that Npnt mRNA...

Half of the marine virosphere is hypothesized to be RNA viruses (kingdom Orthornavirae) that infect abundant micro-eukaryotic hosts (e.g. protists). To test this, quantitative approaches broadly track infections in situ are needed. Here, we describe a technique-dsRNA-Immunofluorescence (dsRIF)-that uses double-stranded (dsRNA) targeting monoclonal antibody assess host infection status based on presence dsRNA, replicative intermediate all Orthornavirae infections. We show dinoflagellate...

Background : During embryonic development, endothelial precursor cells (angioblasts) migrate relatively long distances to form the primary vascular plexus. The migratory behavior of angioblasts and localization primitive blood vessels is tightly regulated by pro‐angiogenic anti‐angiogenic factors encountered in environment. Despite importance corneal avascularity proper vision, it not known when established developing cornea how pro‐ regulate this process. Results Discussion: Using Tg( tie1...

Multipotent neural crest cells (NCC) contribute to the corneal endothelium and keratocytes during ocular development, but molecular mechanisms that underlie this process remain poorly understood. We performed RNA-Seq analysis on periocular (pNC), endothelium, validated expression of candidate genes by in situ hybridization.RNA-Seq profiling revealed enrichment between pNC crest-derived cells, which correspond pathways involved focal adhesion, ECM-receptor interaction, cell melanogenesis,...

Purpose.: Wound healing in adult corneas is characterized by activation of keratocytes and extracellular matrix (ECM) synthesis that results fibrotic scar formation loss transparency. Since most fetal wounds heal without scaring, we investigated the regenerative potential wounded embryonic corneas.

Abstract Wound healing is characterized by cell and extracellular matrix changes mediating migration, fibrosis, remodeling regeneration. We previously demonstrated that chick fetal wound shows a regenerative phenotype regarding the cellular molecular organization of cornea. However, corneal stromal structure remarkably complex in collagen fiber/lamellar organization, involving branching anastomosing bundles. It unknown whether capable recapitulating this developmentally regulated pattern....