The stem cell zoo for comparative studies of developmental tempo

Curr Opin Genet Dev. 2024 Feb;84:102149. doi: 10.1016/j.gde.2023.102149. Epub 2024 Jan 9.ABSTRACTThe rate of development is highly variable across animal species. However, the mechanisms regulating developmental tempo have remained elusive due to difficulties in performing direct interspecies comparisons. Here, we discuss how pluripotent stem cell-based models of development can be used to investigate cell- and tissue-autonomous temporal processes. These systems enable quantitative comparisons of different animal species under similar experimental conditions. Moreover, the constantly growing stem cell zoo collection allows the extension of developmental studies to a great number of unconventional species. We argue that the stem cell zoo constitutes a powerful platform to perform comparative studies of developmental tempo, as well as to study other forms of biological time control such as species-specific lifespan, heart rate, and circadian clocks.PMID:38199063 | DOI:10.1016/j.gde.2023.102149
Source: Current Opinion in Genetics and Development - Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Source Type: research