One of the most basic and crucial embryonic processes to unfold in virtually every living organism is the formation of hollow, tubular structures of various kinds. These tubes may form blood vessels or a digestive tract, and through branching and differentiation, complex organs including the heart, kidneys, and mammary glands. Abnormalities in these processes can cause congenital disorders such as dysfunctional, displaced, or non-symmetrical organs, as well as regeneration defects in blood vessels or in other regenerative organs.

 

Despite its fundamental importance, the general mechanisms of hollow tube formation during embryogenesis are not well understood, due to the great diversity of strategies that animals use to form tubular structures.

 

Enter the sea star, an ancient marine creature whose process of tubulogenesis is relatively easy to study, and which is becoming an important organism for understanding the genetics and mechanics of tube formation. In the May 9 issue of Nature Communications, Margherita Perillo of the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) and collaborators reveal in detail the initiation and early stages of tube formation in the sea star Patiria miniata.