Gastrulation articles from across Nature Portfolio

This protocol describes the in vitro culture of cynomolgus monkey embryos from blastocyst to early organogenesis. Given the ethical limitations restricting the use of human embryos beyond 14 days, nonhuman primate embryos are an ideal model.

Cell-fate decisions during mammalian gastrulation are poorly understood outside of rodent embryos. Here, Simpson et al. produced a single-cell map of pig gastrulation and early organogenesis. The study reveals key similarities in mesodermal or endodermal fate determination across pigs, primates, and mice and differences in the relative timing of these events.

Twisted gastrulation (TWSG1) controls signaling by Bone Morphogenetic Proteins (BMPs) during embryogenesis and cancer. Here, author report crystal structures of TWSG1 in complex with a BMP ligand and show how TWSG1 inhibits signaling in cells and in vivo.

This study identifies a unique “internal-PDZ binding motif” (IPM) of WGEF that mediates its interaction with Dvl2^PDZ, leading to the release of GEF from its autoinhibitory state. It further unravels the underlying mutual Dvl2-IPM recognition aspects.

Identical twins from a single embryo are formed in multiple species, albeit rarely. It is not clear how such twinning is suppressed during early development. Here they show that calcium signalling activity is propagated through the extraembryonic tissue to prevent ectopic primitive streak formation during gastrulation.

The tight junction protein TJP1 is essential for controlling BMP signalling during patterning of human gastrulation models.

The rabbit is an important model species for developmental and translational research. Here, we used histological imaging and single-cell transcriptomics to characterize gastrulation and early organogenesis in the rabbit. We identified substantial transcriptional differences between the rabbit and mouse, highlighting the power of cross-species comparative genomics to elucidate early human development.

A recent study combines CRISPR-based perturbation with single-cell RNA sequencing to characterize the roles of epigenome regulator proteins in controlling cell fate and identity during embryonic development.

A new CRISPR–Cas9-based ‘molecular recorder’ can provide information on cell state and cell lineage, in mice, from fertilization through to adulthood.

Unlike in animals in which gastrulation marks the onset of zygotic transcription and a transition from random to site-specific localization of replication origins, transcription and origin specification in Caenorhabditis elegans are in place before gastrulation. Nonetheless, origin-site redistribution takes place after gastrulation, and is coordinated with changes in the sites of active transcription.