| First Author | Kim YS | Year | 2022 |
| Journal | Dev Cell | Volume | 57 |
| Issue | 16 | Pages | 1937-1956.e8 |
| PubMed ID | 35998584 | Mgi Jnum | J:327957 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:7334673 | Doi | 10.1016/j.devcel.2022.07.011 |
| Citation | Kim YS, et al. (2022) Rap1 controls epiblast morphogenesis in sync with the pluripotency states transition. Dev Cell 57(16):1937-1956.e8 |
| abstractText | The complex architecture of the murine fetus originates from a simple ball of pluripotent epiblast cells, which initiate morphogenesis upon implantation. In turn, this establishes an intermediate state of tissue-scale organization of the embryonic lineage in the form of an epithelial monolayer, where patterning signals delineate the body plan. However, how this major morphogenetic process is orchestrated on a cellular level and synchronized with the developmental progression of the epiblast is still obscure. Here, we identified that the small GTPase Rap1 plays a critical role in reshaping the pluripotent lineage. We found that Rap1 activity is controlled via Oct4/Esrrb input and is required for the transmission of polarization cues, which enables the de novo epithelialization and formation of tricellular junctions in the epiblast. Thus, Rap1 acts as a molecular switch that coordinates the morphogenetic program in the embryonic lineage, in sync with the cellular states of pluripotency. |
