Cardiovascular System - Spleen Development
Introduction
The spleen is located on the left side of the abdomen and has a role initially in blood and then immune system development. The spleen's haematopoietic function (blood cell formation) is lost with embryo development and lymphoid precursor cells migrate into the developing organ. Vascularization of the spleen arises initially by branches from the dorsal aorta. Mesoderm within the dorsal mesogastrium form a long strip of cells adjacent to the forming stomach above the developing pancreas.
Some Recent Findings
- White pulp and marginal zone in human spleen from the 17th to 40th week of gestation[1]
- Spleen versus pancreas[2] "During early stages of pancreatic development, the mesenchyme that contributes to the spleen overlies the dorsal pancreatic endoderm. Here, we show that interactions between splenic mesenchyme and pancreas proceed via a highly orchestrated morphogenetic program. ...Similar transformations occur in organ cultures employing wild-type pancreatic endoderm and spleen mesenchyme, revealing the developmental plasticity of the pancreas and that precise spatial and temporal control of tissue interactions are required for development of both organs."
- Fetal and early post-natal development of the human spleen[3] "Immunohistological analysis of 31 human spleens from the 11th week of gestation to the early postnatal period suggested that fetal organ development may be preliminarily divided into four stages."
- Lymphoid organ development[4] "... At one end are the 'canonical' secondary lymphoid organs, including lymph nodes and spleen; at the other end are 'ectopic' or tertiary lymphoid organs, which are cellular accumulations arising during chronic inflammation by the process of lymphoid neogenesis."
Development Overview
The human spleen arises in week 5 within the dorsal mesogastrium as proliferating mesenchyme overlying the dorsal pancreatic endoderm. Cells required for its hemopoietic function arise from the yolk sac wall and near dorsal aorta. The spleen generates both red and white cells in the 2nd trimester. Note that many embryonic RBCs remain nucleated. | |
D4 Dorsal Mesogastrium (stage 13 |
Human Embryo Stage 22
D4 Dorsal Mesogastrium (stage 13)
F1 Developing Human Spleen (stage 22)
F2 Developing Human Spleen (stage 22)
F3 Developing Human Spleen (stage 22)
Abnormalities
Congenital absence of the spleen is usually accompanied by complex cardiac malformations, malposition and maldevelopment of the abdominal organs, and abnormal lobation of the lungs. (from OMIM)
Connexin-43 involved with abnormal spleen development (cardiac and lung also).
References
Reviews
<pubmed>16550197</pubmed> <pubmed>15738953</pubmed> <pubmed>15530642</pubmed> <pubmed>14966753</pubmed> <pubmed>10676919</pubmed> <pubmed>7728201</pubmed>
Search PubMed
Search NCBI Bookshelf: Spleen Development
Search PubMed: Search August 2006 "Spleen Development" 13,401 reference articles of which 450 were reviews.
Search term = Spleen Development
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Cite this page: Hill, M.A. (2024, June 20) Embryology Cardiovascular System - Spleen Development. Retrieved from https://embryology.med.unsw.edu.au/embryology/index.php/Cardiovascular_System_-_Spleen_Development
- © Dr Mark Hill 2024, UNSW Embryology ISBN: 978 0 7334 2609 4 - UNSW CRICOS Provider Code No. 00098G