REYNALDO M. BAÑARIA, JR.

MS BIO 220
Cell to Cell Communication in Development

1. Explain the principle of induction during embryonic development and cite 1 specific example
to elaborate the process leading to development or formation of a part/structure.
2. What will happen if there is cell to cell communication breakdown? Give 1 specific example.
3. What are cell adhesion molecules? Give its roles in morphogenesis and development.
4. Explain the role of Hippo pathway during development.
Discussion:
1. The principle of induction plays a vital role in embryonic development of all living organisms,
especially of animals. As its definition implies, this interaction (at close range) between two or
more cells or tissues will promote embryonic development, evident in the formation of our
organs, each with specific structures and functions uniquely to each other. Through the
interaction of the two components, the inducer and the responder, the formation of organs
become possible that is essential in an organism’s embryonic development.
An example of which can be seen in the induction of the mouse lens. The optic vesicle extends
toward the surface ectoderm from the forebrain during embryonic day 9. The lens placode
appears as a local thickening of the surface ectoderm near the optic vesicle. At the middle of
day 9, the lens placode has enlarged and the two optic vesicles has formed an optic cup and at
the middle of day 10, the central portion of the lens-forming ectoderm invaginates, while the
two layers of the retina become distinguished. By the middle of day 11, the lens vesicle has
formed and at day 13, the lens consists of anterior cuboidal epithelial cells and elongating
posterior fiber cells. Then the cornea develops in front of the lens.
2. Breakdown or miscommunication in cells poses adverse and imbalance results in organisms’
state of being. One example is the retinal homeostasis by changing gene expression of connexin
and gap junction intercellular communication, leading to cell apoptosis and breakdown of the
blood-retinal barrier.

3. Cell adhesion molecules are proteins found at the cell’s surface that are involved in binding
cells with other cells or with the extracellular matrix. For example, is the adhesion between
leukocytes and endothelial cells, a hallmark of the inflammatory process. Leukocytes leave the
circulation at sites of tissue inflammation by interacting with the endothelial cells of capillary
walls.

4. Hippo pathway is a signaling pathway that controls organ size in animals through the regulation
of cell proliferation and apoptosis. This pathway is necessary in limiting tissue and organ
growth. It also plays critical roles in early embryonic development such as in trophoblast
differentiation and inner cell mass formation. To sum up, hippo pathway serves as the controller
and regulator in tissue and organ formation that when affected may lead to diseases such as
tumor growth and cancers.