Organ-specific Branching Morphogenesis

TL;DR

This review explores how organ-specific factors influence branching morphogenesis in lungs and kidneys, shedding light on the mechanisms that generate diverse epithelial structures across organs.

Contribution

It compares regulatory mechanisms of branching morphogenesis in different organs and discusses potential determinants of organ-specific architecture.

Findings

Signaling pathways differ between organs.

Mesenchyme and extracellular matrix influence branch formation.

Cytoskeleton plays a role in branch orientation.

Abstract

A common developmental process, called branching morphogenesis, generates the epithelial trees in a variety of organs, including the lungs, kidneys, and glands. How branching morphogenesis can create epithelial architectures of very different shapes and functions remains elusive. In this review, we compare branching morphogenesis and its regulation in lungs and kidneys and discuss the role of signaling pathways, the mesenchyme, the extracellular matrix, and the cytoskeleton as potential organ-specific determinants of branch position, orientation, and shape. Identifying the determinants of branch and organ shape and their adaptation in different organs may reveal how a highly conserved developmental process can be adapted to different structural and functional frameworks and should provide important insights into epithelial morphogenesis and developmental disorders.