From "self-differentiation" to organoids-the quest for the units of development.

Publisher: Springer-Verlag Country of Publication: Germany NLM ID: 9613264 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1432-041X (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 0949944X NLM ISO Abbreviation: Dev Genes Evol Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: Berlin : Springer-Verlag, c1996-

Embryonic Development* ; Organoids*/cytology ; Organoids*/metabolism; Animals ; Humans ; Body Patterning ; Cell Differentiation

As proposed by Wilhelm Roux in 1885, the key goal of experimental embryology ("Entwicklungsmechanik") was to elucidate whether organisms or their parts develop autonomously ("self-differentiation") or require interactions with other parts or the environment. However, experimental embryologists soon realized that concepts like "self-differentiation" only make sense when applied to particular parts or units of the developing embryo as defined both in time and space. Whereas the formation of tissues or organs may initially depend on interactions with surrounding tissues, they later become independent of such interactions or "determined." Moreover, the determination of a particular tissue or organ primordium has to be distinguished from the spatially coordinated determination of its parts-what we now refer to as "patterning." While some primordia depend on extrinsic influences (e.g., signals from adjacent tissues) for proper patterning, others rely on intrinsic mechanisms. Such intrinsically patterned units may behave as "morphogenetic fields" that can compensate for lost parts and regulate their size and proper patterning. While these insights were won by experimental embryologists more than 100 years ago, they retain their relevance today. To enable the generation of more life-like organoids in vitro for studying developmental processes and diseases in a dish, questions about the spatiotemporal units of development (when and how tissues and organs are determined and patterned) need to be increasingly considered. This review briefly sketches this conceptual history and its continued relevance by focusing on the determination and patterning of the inner ear with a specific emphasis on some studies published in this journal.
Competing Interests: Declarations. Competing interests: The author declares no competing interests.
(© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

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Keywords: Determination; Ear; Induction; Morphogenetic field; Otic vesicle

Date Created: 20231010 Date Completed: 20241202 Latest Revision: 20241212

20241212

10.1007/s00427-023-00711-z

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