Question

Developmental biology

Explain how Nkx2.1 is expressed only on the ventral side of the endodermal tube to specify the lung primordial.

Answer 1

Morphoregulatory transcriptional factors such as NKX2.1 have the crucial role of connecting the cell–cell crosstalk to the activation or repression of gene expression through which processes such as cellular proliferation, migration, differentiation and apoptosis can be controlled. Although none of the factors participating in lung development are exclusively lung-specific, their unique combinations and interactions constitute the basis for emergence of lung structural and functional specificities.

An understanding of the individual molecules and their unique interactions in the context of lung development is necessary for the construction of a morphogenetic map for this vital organ as well as for the development of rational and innovative approaches to congenital and induced lung disease.