A great bulk of recent experimental evidence suggests the key role of the complex crosstalk between the extracellular matrix (ECM) and the cellular component of tissues during morphogenesis and embryogenesis. In particular, remodeling of the ECM and of its physical interactions pattern with surrounding cells represent two crucial processes that might be involved in muscle development. However, little information is available on this topic, especially on invertebrate species. To obtain new insights on how tuning the ECM microenvironment might drive cellular fate during embryonic development, we used the invertebrate medicinal leech Hirudo verbana as a valuable experimental model, due to its simple anatomy and the recapitulation of many aspects of the basic biological processes of vertebrates. Our previous studies on leech post-embryonic development have already shown the pivotal role of ECM changes during the growth of the body wall and the role of Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1) in mechanotransduction. Here, we suggest that the interactions between stromal cell telocytes and ECM might be crucial in driving the organization of muscle layers during embryogenesis. Furthermore, we propose a possible role of the pleiotropic enzyme HvRNASET2 as a possible modulator of collagen deposition and ECM remodeling not only during regenerative processes (as previously demonstrated) but also in embryogenesis.

最近的大量实验证据表明，细胞外基质（ECM）和组织细胞成分之间的复杂串扰在形态发生和胚胎发生过程中发挥着关键作用。特别是，ECM 的重塑及其与周围细胞的物理相互作用模式代表了肌肉发育中可能涉及的两个关键过程。然而，关于这个主题的信息很少，特别是关于无脊椎动物物种的信息。为了获得关于调节 ECM 微环境如何在胚胎发育过程中驱动细胞命运的新见解，我们使用无脊椎动物药用水蛭Hirudo verbana作为有价值的实验模型，因为它的解剖结构简单，并且概括了脊椎动物基本生物过程的许多方面。我们之前对水蛭胚胎后发育的研究已经表明ECM变化在体壁生长过程中的关键作用以及Yes相关蛋白1（YAP1）在力传导中的作用。在这里，我们认为基质细胞特留细胞和 ECM 之间的相互作用可能对于胚胎发生过程中肌肉层的组织驱动至关重要。此外，我们提出多效性酶Hv RNASET2 不仅在再生过程中（如先前所证明的）而且在胚胎发生中作为胶原蛋白沉积和 ECM 重塑的可能调节剂的可能作用。