First published online June 27, 2005
Development 132, 1403e (2005)
© The Company of Biologists Limited
Eyes wide open
During mammalian development, eyelid growth, fusion and subsequent
reopening involve cellular proliferation, shape changes, migration and death.
On p. 3217, Tao et
al. report that fibroblast growth factor 10 (FGF10) controls the proliferation
and coordinated migration of epithelial cells during eyelid development. The
researchers investigate eyelid development in Fgf10-deficient mice,
which are born with open instead of shut eyelids. They show, for example, that
activin ßB and transforming growth factor
, both of which are
critical for eyelid development, are downregulated in the leading epithelial
edge of the developing mutant eyelid, but are upregulated in explanted
cultures of normal eyelid primordia after FGF10 treatment. Overall, their
results indicate that FGF10 signalling is required early in eyelid development
for cell shape changes and proliferation of the prospective eyelid epithelium,
and later for the cellular changes underlying epithelial cell migration during
eyelid closure, a process that resembles wound healing.
Related articles in Development:
- A dual role of FGF10 in proliferation and coordinated migration of epithelial leading edge cells during mouse eyelid development
- Hirotaka Tao, Miyuki Shimizu, Ryo Kusumoto, Katsuhiko Ono, Sumihare Noji, and Hideyo Ohuchi
Development 2005 132: 3217-3230.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]