Reciprocal Interactions Between the Epithelium and Mesenchyme in Organogenesis.

Many organs are composed of epithelial and mesenchymal tissue components. These two tissue component types develop via reciprocal interactions. However, for historical and technical reasons, the effects of the mesenchymal components on the epithelium have been emphasized. Well-documented examples are the regionally specific differentiation of the endoderm-derived primitive gut tube under the influence of surrounding mesenchyme. In contrast to a pile of reports on mesenchyme-derived signaling mechanisms, few studies have depicted the epithelial action in depth. This chapter highlights an example of an opposite action from the epithelial side, which was found in esophagus development.