Regulation of tissue separation in the early Xenopus embryo

胚胎中组织边界的形成对于身体计划的建立和器官的形成至关重要。组织必须发展分离行为，以防止细胞混合并确定不同细胞群之间的边界。早期非洲爪蟾胚胎是我们用来研究组织分离的实验模型。在原肠胚形成的过程中，形成了胚层，并在胚胎中发生了广泛的形态发生运动。在这些原肠胚形成运动期间，外胚层的细胞必须与内卷的中内胚层保持分离。我们的目标是表征调控早期爪蟾胚胎组织分离的分子机制。我们将研究外胚层的排斥行为以及内胚层和中胚层的分离行为。特别是，我们将分析卷曲7受体和近轴原钙粘蛋白（PARC）的作用，这是非经典的Wnt信号在组织分离的背景下的组件。

The formation of tissue boundaries in the embryo is essential for the establishment of the body plan and for the formation of the organs. Tissues have to develop separation behaviors which prevent cell mixing and define borders between different groups of cells. The early Xenopus embryo is the experimental model we use to study tissue separation. In the process of gastrulation germ layers are established and extensive morphogenetic movements take place in the embryo. The cells of the ectoderm must stay separated from the involuting mesendoderm during these gastrulation movements. Our goal is to characterize the molecular mechanisms which regulate tissue separation in the early Xenopus embryo. We will study the repulsion behavior developed by the ectodermal layer as well as the separation behavior of the endo and mesoderm. In particular we will analyze the role of the Frizzed 7 receptor and Paraxial Protocadherin (PARC) which are components of noncanonical Wnt signaling in the context of tissue separation.