Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

Developmental biology

Cells unite by trapping a signal

Nature volume 515, pages 41–42 (2014)Cite this article

Subjects

Gradients of fibroblast growth factors often induce cells to adopt different fates. A study in zebrafish embryos reveals another, unexpected role when the factors are trapped in small spaces by a special arrangement of cells. See Letter p.120

Building complex, multicellular organs during embryonic development is not just about making different cell types, it is about getting the right cells in the right place. For a cell to have some sense of where it is, it must integrate diffusible signals released by its neighbours. On page 120 of this issue, Durdu et al.1 provide evidence for a surprising new way by which diffusible signals such as fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) are controlled — by trapping them in small, closed extracellular spaces called microlumina, from which they have access to only a discrete collection of cells.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Roles of fibroblast growth factors (FGFs).

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Durdu, S. et al. Nature 515, 120–124 (2014).

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  2. Dubrulle, J. & Pourquié, O. Nature 427, 419–422 (2003).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  3. Lander, A. Cell 128, 245–256 (2007).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Häcker, U., Nybakken, K. & Perrimon, N. Nature Rev. Mol. Cell Biol. 6, 530–541 (2005).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Dorey, K. & Amaya, E. Development 137, 3731–3742 (2010).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Ghysen, A. & Dambly-Chaudiere, C. Genes Dev. 21, 2118–2130 (2007).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Nechiporuk, A. & Raible, D. W. Science 320, 1774–1777 (2008).

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. James Sharpe is in the Systems Biology Program, Centre for Genomic Regulation, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona; and at the Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, Barcelona.,

    James Sharpe

  2. at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona,

    James Sharpe

Authors
  1. James Sharpe
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to James Sharpe.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Sharpe, J. Cells unite by trapping a signal. Nature 515, 41–42 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature13933

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature13933

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing