
@article {43840,
	title = {Divergent early mesoderm specification underlies distinct head and trunk muscle programmes in vertebrates.},
	journal = {Development},
	volume = {145},
	year = {2018},
	month = {2018 Sep 20},
	abstract = {<p>Head and trunk muscles have discrete embryological origins and are governed by distinct regulatory programmes. Whereas the developmental route of trunk muscles from mesoderm is well studied, that of head muscles is ill defined. Here, we show that, unlike the myogenic trunk paraxial mesoderm, head mesoderm development is independent of the T/Tbx6 network in mouse. We reveal that, in contrast to Wnt and FGF-driven trunk mesoderm, dual inhibition of Wnt/β-catenin and Nodal specifies head mesoderm. Remarkably, the progenitors derived from embryonic stem cells by dual inhibition efficiently differentiate into cardiac and skeletal muscle cells. This twin potential is the defining feature of cardiopharyngeal mesoderm: the head subtype giving rise to heart and branchiomeric head muscles. Therefore, our findings provide compelling evidence that dual inhibition specifies head mesoderm and unravel the mechanism that diversifies head and trunk muscle programmes during early mesoderm fate commitment. Significantly, this is the first report of directed differentiation of pluripotent stem cells, without transgenes, into progenitors with muscle/heart dual potential. Ability to generate branchiomeric muscle could catalyse efforts in modelling myopathies that selectively involve head muscles.</p>
},
	issn = {1477-9129},
	doi = {10.1242/dev.160945},
	author = {Nandkishore, Nitya and Vyas, Bhakti and Javali, Alok and Ghosh, Subho and Sambasivan, Ramkumar}
}
@article {25249,
	title = {Co-expression of Tbx6 and Sox2 identifies a novel transient neuromesoderm progenitor cell state.},
	journal = {Development},
	year = {2017},
	month = {2017 Oct 30},
	abstract = {<p>The elongation of body axis during development is a key aspect of body plan. Bi-potential neuromesoderm progenitors (NMPs) ensure the axial growth of embryos by contributing both to the spinal cord and mesoderm. The current model for the mechanism controlling NMP deployment invokes Tbx6, a T-box factor, to drive mesoderm differentiation of NMPs. Here, we identify a new population of Tbx6+ cells in a subdomain of NMP niche in mouse embryos. Based on co-expression of a progenitor marker Sox2, we identify this population to represent a transient cell state in the mesoderm-fated NMP lineage. Genetic lineage tracing confirms the presence of Tbx6+ NMP cell state. Furthermore, we report a novel aspect of documented Tbx6 mutant phenotype, i.e., an increase from two to four ectopic neural tubes, corresponding to the switch in NMP niche, highlighting the importance of Tbx6 function in NMP fate decision. This study emphasizes the function of Tbx6 as the bi-stable switch turning mesoderm fate "on" and progenitor state "off", and thus, has implications for the molecular mechanism driving NMP fate choice.</p>
},
	issn = {1477-9129},
	doi = {10.1242/dev.153262},
	author = {Javali, Alok and Misra, Aritra and Leonavicius, Karolis and Acharya, Debalina and Vyas, Bhakti and Sambasivan, Ramkumar}
}
