Signals regulating tendon formation during chick embryonic development

Abstract

Frédé rique Edom-Vovard and Delphine Duprez * Tendons are collagen-rich structures that link muscle to cartilage. By using quail-chick chimeras, it has been shown that tendon and cartilage cells originate from the same mesodermic compartment, which is distinct from that giving rise to muscle cells. Axial tendons originate from the sclerotomal compartment, and limb tendons originate from the lateral plate, whereas axial and limb muscles derive from dermomyotomes. Despite these different embryologic origins, muscle and tendon morphogenesis occurs in close spatial and temporal association. Facilitated by the distinct embryologic origin of myogenic and tendon cells, surgical studies in the avian embryo have highlighted interactions between tendons and muscles, during embryonic development. However, these interactions seem to differ between axial and limb levels. The molecular mechanisms underlying muscle and tendon interactions have been shown recently to involve different members of the fibroblast growth factor family. This review covers the available data on the early steps of tendon formation in the limb and along the primary axis. The relationship with muscle morphogenesis will be highlighted. Developmental Dynamics 229:449 -457, 2004.

Three-Dimensional Culture and Transforming Growth Factor Beta3 Synergistically Promote Tenogenic Differentiation of Equine Embryo-Derived Stem Cells

“…The genes were selected on the basis of having been previously shown to be associated with tendon tissue. [21][22][23][24][25][26] The adult tendon is primarily composed of Collagen Type I, 21 which lacks tissue specificity and is a more general component of multiple ECMs. More robust markers of tenocytes include Scleraxis (SCX), Tenomodulin (TNMD), Tenascin-C (TNC), Cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), and Thrombospondin-4 (THBS4), which are not only collectively expressed in tendons, but individually also present in other tissue types.…”

“…More robust markers of tenocytes include Scleraxis (SCX), Tenomodulin (TNMD), Tenascin-C (TNC), Cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), and Thrombospondin-4 (THBS4), which are not only collectively expressed in tendons, but individually also present in other tissue types. [22][23][24][25][26] Developmental studies have also implicated genes such as Six1/2, Eph-A4, Eya1/2, Egr1/2, and Mohawk (Mkx), 25,[27][28][29][30] although it has not been established whether these genes show temporally restricted expression in tendon tissue.…”

The developmental basis of bat wing muscle

“…Although molecular mechanisms controlling the organization of skeletal muscle in space during vertebrate development are not fully understood, signalling molecules secreted from non-myogenic mesenchyme or muscle connective tissue, as well as cell adhesion molecules localized at the cell membrane of muscle connective tissue, potentially affect the architectural pattern of muscles 21,22,30,[40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48] . In tongue morphogenesis, cranial neural crest-derived tongue muscle connective tissue is required for organizing occipital somite-derived tongue muscle cells 49 .…”

Spatiotemporal protein distribution of TGF‐βs, their receptors, and extracellular matrix molecules during embryonic tendon development

“…The regulation of tendon formation during development is largely unknown (reviewed in Edom-Vovard and Duprez, 2004;Tozer and Duprez, 2005). Only in recent years has a highly specific marker for tendons, basic helix-loophelix transcription factor scleraxis, been identified (Schweitzer et al, 2001;Brent et al, 2003).…”