Lateral Plate Mesoderm Directs Human Amnion And Ventral Skin Organoid Formation

    November 2025 in “ bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) ”
    Anh Phuong Le, Jin Kim, Qianyi Ma, Kelly Y Gim, Sara A. Serdy, Edward H. Lee, Shariqa T Shaila, Taiki Nakajima, Carl Nist-Lund, Ian A. Glass, Yosuke Mai, Laura C. Nuzzi, Catherine T. McNamara, Brian I. Labow, Liang Sun, Jiyoon Lee, Olivier Pourquié, Karl R. Koehler
    TLDR Lateral plate mesoderm helps create skin and amnion-like tissues for studying development and therapies.
    The study explores the engineering of ventral skin organoids (vSkOs) using lateral plate mesoderm (LPM) progenitors to replicate features of abdominal or groin skin. By modulating BMP and FGF signaling, researchers redirected these organoids to form human amnion-like tissues, termed Amnioids, which expanded into large, avascular, hairless cysts. Single-cell RNA sequencing revealed distinct molecular signatures and developmental pathways, emphasizing the roles of NOTCH, WNT, and YAP/Hippo signaling. The research highlights the importance of mesenchymal-epithelial interactions and mechanical forces in epithelial expansion, providing valuable models for studying human development and potential regenerative therapies.
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