In vitro control of organogenesis by ActivinA treatment of amphibian and mouse stem cells

Abstract

After identification of organizer region in amphibian embryos by Spemann-Mangold in 1930s, presence of limited number of factors had been proposed for fundamental embryonic patterning with mesoderm formation. However, these factors had remained unknown for a long time. In 1998, we have identified activin as the mesoderm-inducing factor. In this chapter, with various conditions of activin A treatment, we demonstrated in vitro induction of various organs from Xenopus undifferentiated ectodermal cells. These induction methods have been further extended to the differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells in vitro. These model systems for the development of various differentiated cell types, tissues, and even whole organs provide excellent tools for the study of developmental processes. © 2008 Springer Netherlands.