title: Autophagy functions on EMT in gastrulation of avian embryo.
abstract: Autophagy is important for cell renewing for its contribution to the degradation of bulk cytoplasm, long-lived proteins, and entire organelles and its role in embryonic development is largely unknown. In our study, we investigated the function of autophagy in gastrulation of the chick embryo using both in vivo and in vitro approaches, especially in the EMT process, and we found that autophagy gene Atg7 was expressed on the apical side of the ectoderm and endoderm. Over-expression of Atg7 could enhance the expression of Atg8 and the E-cadherin, the latter of which is a crucial marker of the EMT process. We also found that the disturbance of autophagy could retard the development of chick embryos in HH4 with shorter primitive steak than that in the control group, which is a newly formed structure during EMT process. So we assumed that autophagy could affect EMT process by adhesion molecule expression. Moreover, more molecules, such as slug, chordin, shh et., which were all involved in EMT process, were detected to address the mechanism of this phenomena. We established that the inhibition of autophagy could cause developmental delay by affecting EMT process in gastrulation of chick embryos.
authors.affiliation: a Key Laboratory for Regenerative Medicine of the Ministry of Education; Division of Histology and Embryology; Medical College ; Jinan University ; Guangzhou , China.
authors.forename: Wen-Hui
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Guang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Shuai
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Xiao-Yu
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Xiao-Yu
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Manli
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chuai
authors.forename: Kenneth Ka Ho
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Liu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Xuesong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000225:Adenine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D001343:Autophagy / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D015820:Cadherins / Q000378:metabolism; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000378:metabolism; D002642:Chick Embryo; D058750:Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D005775:Gastrula / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D054262:Gastrulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000187:drug effects; D005855:Germ Layers / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D045325:HCT116 Cells; D006801:Humans; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008954:Models, Biological; D020123:Sirolimus / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D015820:Cadherins; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; C025946:3-methyladenine; D000225:Adenine; D020123:Sirolimus
keywords: 3-MA, 3-Methyladenine; Atg7; BF, bright-field; DAPI, 49-6-Diamidino-2-phenylindole; E-Cad, E-cadherin; EB, embryoid bodies; EMT and chick embryo; EMTs, epithelial-mesenchymal transitions; GFP, green fluorescent protein; HN, Hensen's node; MAPILC3(LC3), microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3; N-Cad, N-cadherin; NT, neural tube; PBS, phosphate-buffered saline; PCD, Programmed cell death; PD, idiopathic Parkinson's Disease; PI3K, phosphoinositide-3-kinase; PPIA, peptidylprolyl isomerase A; PS, primitive streak; RAPA, Rapamycin; RT-PCR, reverse transcription PCR; autophagy; gastrulation; mTOR, mammalian target of rapamycin; shh, sonic hedgehog