In the center, the image shows the looped shape of an intact gut tube with its anchoring dorsal mesentery. Separation of the dorsal mesentery causes the gut tube to untangle and form a straight tube, as seen in the surrounding tube.
Growing embryos face a tight squeeze when it's time to pack internal organs. A new study published in Nature Aug. 4 shows how simple mechanical forces between neighboring types of tissue help organs take shape and grow. The work is among the first to uncover how an embryo develops from groups of cells into distinctly shaped organs. Though the research largely focuses on the mid-gut in chicken embryos, the findings are relevant to other vertebrates and the formation of other organs, including the heart. Such insights into how organs form could aid efforts to diagnose and prevent birth defects and diseases. The research reveals how a vertebrate digestive system - a tube up to five times longer than the frame housing it - fits inside the body by packing itself into an organized bundle of intestinal coils.
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