Distinct hematoendothelial progenitors’ migration phenotypes of the early chick embryo

Nikolopoulos, Andreas-Alexandros (2024) Distinct hematoendothelial progenitors’ migration phenotypes of the early chick embryo. Masters thesis, University of East Anglia.

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Abstract

Hematoendothelial progenitors (HEPs) emerging from the lateral plate mesoderm (LPM) are bipotent precursor cells critical for the formation of both hematopoietic and endothelial lineages during early vertebrate embryogenesis. While much is known about their developmental role and ancestry, there remains limited understanding of their regulation and migratory profiles. Using a HEP-specific enhancer-driven fluorescent reporter construct, we characterized the migratory behavior of HEPs through high-resolution widefield timelapse microscopy and quantified key migration metrics including velocity, net displacement, total distance covered, and directionality. We further showed that HEP migration may be coordinated by both WNT5A and YAP1 signalling, with morpholino knockdown experiments revealing a significant impairment in HEP movement when either pathway is disrupted. These findings suggest that WNT5A and YAP1 are crucial regulators of HEP migration, likely through their roles in cytoskeletal organization, cell-cell adhesion and embryonic axis assembly. This study provides new insights into the cellular behavior and molecular mechanisms governing HEP migration, contributing to a broader understanding of early vascular and hematopoietic development.

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Science > School of Biological Sciences
Depositing User:	Chris White
Date Deposited:	25 Mar 2025 08:53
Last Modified:	25 Mar 2025 08:53
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/98882
DOI:

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