Developmental function of Piezo1 in mouse submandibular gland morphogenesis

AbstractMechanically activated factors are important in organogenesis, especially in the formation of secretory organs, such as salivary glands. Piezo-type mechanosensitive ion channel component 1 (Piezo1), although previously studied as a physical modulator of the mechanotransduction, was firstly evaluated on its developmental function in this study. The detailed localization and expression pattern of Piezo1 during mouse submandibular gland (SMG) development were analyzed using immunohistochemistry and RT-qPCR, respectively. The specific expression pattern ofPiezo1 was examined in acinar-forming epithelial cells at embryonic day 14 (E14) and E16, which are important developmental stages for acinar cell differentiation. To understand the precise function of Piezo1 in SMG development, siRNA againstPiezo1 (siPiezo1) was employed as a loss-of-function approach, during in  vitro organ cultivation of SMG at E14 for the designated period. Alterations in the histomorphology and expression patterns of related signaling molecules, includingBmp2, Fgf4, Fgf10, Gli1, Gli3, Ptch1, Shh, andTgf β-3, were examined in acinar-forming cells after 1 and 2  days of cultivation. Particularly, altered localization patterns of differentiation-related signaling molecules including Aquaporin5, E-cadherin, Vimentin, and cytokeratins would suggest thatPiezo1 modulates the early differentiation of acinar cells in SMGs by modulating the Shh signaling pathway.
Source: Histochemistry and Cell Biology - Category: Biomedical Science Source Type: research