Foregut separation and tracheo-oesophageal malformations: the role of tracheal outgrowth, dorso-ventral patterning and programmed cell death.

ABSTRACT: Foregut division-the separation of dorsal (oesophageal) from ventral (tracheal) foregut components-is a crucial event in gastro-respiratory development, and frequently disturbed in clinical birth defects. Here, we examined three outstanding questions of foregut morphogenesis. The origin of the trachea is suggested to result either from respiratory outgrowth or progressive septation of the foregut tube. We found normal foregut lengthening despite failure of tracheo-oesophageal separation in Adriamycin-treated embryos, whereas active septation was observed only in normal foregut morphogenesis, indicating a primary role for septation. Dorso-ventral patterning of Nkx2.1 (ventral) and Sox2 (dorsal) expression is proposed to be critical for tracheo-oesophageal separation. However, normal dorso-v

SUBMITTER: Ioannides AS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2877773 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature