| First Author | Hubaud A | Year | 2017 |
| Journal | Cell | Volume | 171 |
| Issue | 3 | Pages | 668-682.e11 |
| PubMed ID | 28942924 | Mgi Jnum | J:252493 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:5926237 | Doi | 10.1016/j.cell.2017.08.043 |
| Citation | Hubaud A, et al. (2017) Excitable Dynamics and Yap-Dependent Mechanical Cues Drive the Segmentation Clock. Cell 171(3):668-682.e11 |
| abstractText | The periodic segmentation of the vertebrate body axis into somites, and later vertebrae, relies on a genetic oscillator (the segmentation clock) driving the rhythmic activity of signaling pathways in the presomitic mesoderm (PSM). To understand whether oscillations are an intrinsic property of individual cells or represent a population-level phenomenon, we established culture conditions for stable oscillations at the cellular level. This system was used to demonstrate that oscillations are a collective property of PSM cells that can be actively triggered in vitro by a dynamical quorum sensing signal involving Yap and Notch signaling. Manipulation of Yap-dependent mechanical cues is sufficient to predictably switch isolated PSM cells from a quiescent to an oscillatory state in vitro, a behavior reminiscent of excitability in other systems. Together, our work argues that the segmentation clock behaves as an excitable system, introducing a broader paradigm to study such dynamics in vertebrate morphogenesis. |
