Scientists at the University of Queensland in Australia have observed how cells in a genetically modified quail embryo “crawl” around their protein-based support structure, organizing themselves into the rudimentary shape of a heart and the first stage of a spine and brain, called a “neural tube.”
The team used an innovative technique based on fluorescent protein to illuminate these cells inside the tiny embryo, to record the first moments of its formation.
Because the quail embryo is so similar to the human species at these early stages, scientists plan to study in real time the early errors that occur in these embryonic cells, which lead to birth defects, in order to help improve future treatments for humans.
The team was able to record the formation of arm-like protrusions on individual cells, which help the cells crawl along protein struts in the cytoskeleton to the right place.
The scientists documented cardiac stem cells deep within the embryo as they moved into position on this cell structure to form the early heart, as well as how the cells “squeeze” along the long, open edges of the embryo’s neural tube.
The team’s ultimate goal is to find proteins or genes that might be targeted in the future or used to screen for birth defects.
The study was published in the Journal of Cell Biology.
Source: Daily Mail
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2024-07-06 01:20:14
