Publication details
A pre-vertebrate endodermal origin of calcitonin-producing neuroendocrine cells
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2024 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Development |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| web | https://journals.biologists.com/dev/article/151/20/dev202821/361491/A-pre-vertebrate-endodermal-origin-of-calcitonin |
| Doi | https://doi.org/10.1242/dev.202821 |
| Keywords | Calcitonin; Endoderm; Evolution; Neural crest; Neuroendocrine |
| Description | Vertebrate calcitonin-producing cells (C-cells) are neuroendocrine cells that secrete the small peptide hormone calcitonin in response to elevated blood calcium levels. Whereas mouse C-cells reside within the thyroid gland and derive from pharyngeal endoderm, avian C-cells are located within ultimobranchial glands and have been reported to derive from the neural crest. We use a comparative cell lineage tracing approach in a range of vertebrate model systems to resolve the ancestral embryonic origin of vertebrate C-cells. We find, contrary to previous studies, that chick C-cells derive from pharyngeal endoderm, with neural crest-derived cells instead contributing to connective tissue intimately associated with C-cells in the ultimobranchial gland. This endodermal origin of C-cells is conserved in a ray-finned bony fish (zebrafish) and a cartilaginous fish (the little skate, Leucoraja erinacea). Furthermore, we discover putative C-cell homologs within the endodermallyderived pharyngeal epithelium of the ascidian Ciona intestinalis and the amphioxus Branchiostoma lanceolatum, two invertebrate chordates that lack neural crest cells. Our findings point to a conserved endodermal origin of C-cells across vertebrates and to a pre-vertebrate origin of this cell type along the chordate stem. |