Contributions of Cell Signalling Pathways In The Context of Early Eye Development

The developmental stages of an organism are vital, as the outcome will influence the organism from the moment it’s born to the moment it dies. Stem cells are the first cells that make up an organism; they are pluripotent giving them the ability to differentiate into any type of cell. Paratore and Sommer suggest that during organogenesis, the ectoderm, mesoderm and endoderm develop into internal organs, and early in this stage the notochord is developed inducing the formation of the neural plate and the neural tube, both important during early eye development. [1] As is suggested by Del Bene and Wittbrodt, a deepening groove in the neural plate gives rise to the optic vesicle, this later contacts the overlying ectoderm inducing a lens placode. [2] As the optic vesicle folds in on itself the ectoderm differentiates into lens cells and the lens placode becomes a lens vesicle. [3] The optic vesicle then becomes the retina as the lens is internalized and the lens vesicle induces the ectoderm to become a cornea. During the development of ocular tissues, coordination and control by intrinsic, extra cellular factors and the cell signalling pathways play a particularly important if not essential role because like all processes in the developing stages of an organism, it is very complex. [4] Some of the important signalling pathways that help make up the eye are during its early development involve Hedgehog (Sonic Hedgehog (Shh)), Wnt and some proteins belonging to the Transforming Growth Factor ß (TGF-ß) family, known as Bone Morphogenetic Proteins (BMP’s). In order to understand early eye development it is important to understand the cell signalling pathways involved in early eye development and to understand their contributions to the de...

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