Michaut, Arthur;
Mongera, Alessandro;
Gupta, Anupam;
Tarazona, Oscar A;
Serra, Mattia;
Kefala, Georgia-Maria;
Rigoni, Pietro;
... Pourquié, Olivier; + view all
(2025)
Extracellular volume expansion drives vertebrate axis elongation.
Current Biology
, 35
(4)
843-853.e6.
10.1016/j.cub.2024.12.051.
![[thumbnail of Michaut_2025.pdf]](https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/style/images/fileicons/text.png) |
Text
Michaut_2025.pdf - Accepted Version Access restricted to UCL open access staff until 25 February 2026. Download (93MB) |
Abstract
The vertebrate bauplan is primarily established via the formation of embryonic tissues in a head-to-tail progression. The mechanics of this elongation, which requires the presomitic mesoderm (PSM), remain poorly understood. Here, we find that avian PSM explants can elongate autonomously when physically confined in vitro, producing a pushing force promoting posterior elongation of the embryo. This tissue elongation is caused by volumetric expansion, which results from an increase in the extracellular fraction accompanied by graded cellular motility. We show that fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling promotes glycolysis-dependent production of hyaluronic acid (HA), which is required for expansion of the posterior PSM. Our findings link body axis elongation to tissue expansion through the metabolic control of extracellular matrix production downstream of FGF signaling.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Extracellular volume expansion drives vertebrate axis elongation |
| Location: | England |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.cub.2024.12.051 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2024.12.051 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > Div of Biosciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > Div of Biosciences > Cell and Developmental Biology |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10208580 |
Archive Staff Only
 |
View Item |
