The Effects of Hydrostatic Pressure on the Morphogenesis and FGF10 Signaling of Embryonic Chicken Lungs

Abstract

Embryonic lung development involves complex interactions between molecular signaling pathways and mechanical stresses, but there is a limited knowledge of these interactions. When lung development is abnormal, it can result in serious lung defects such as congenital cystic adenomatoid malformations and pulmonary hypoplasia. This research applied hydrostatic pressure to embryonic chicken lungs in an ex vivo culture system to determine the effects of an environmental mechanical stress on the morphogenesis and FGF10 signaling of the developing lungs. It was found that applying hydrostatic pressure to embryonic chicken lungs decreases the fold change in lumen volume and the number of branches, causes deformations in branch and epithelial shape due in part to differential proliferation in the epithelium, and results in an increase in FGF10 expression.