Difference Between Histogenesis and Morphogenesis

The key difference between histogenesis and morphogenesis is that histogenesis is the process by which cells of the primary germ layers of an embryo differentiate into specialized tissues and organs while morphogenesis is the process that determines the final shape of an organism or tissues.

Embryogenesis consists of different stages. Histogenesis and morphogenesis are two cytogenic aspects that are important. Histogenesis is the event by which undifferentiated cells of the three germ layers differentiate into specific tissues that have functional specialization. In contrast, morphogenesis is the process that causes an organism to develop its shape. Moreover, morphogenesis is responsible for the shape of tissues and organs.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Histogenesis
3. What is Morphogenesis
4. Similarities Between Histogenesis and Morphogenesis
5. Side by Side Comparison – Histogenesis vs Morphogenesis in Tabular Form
6. Summary

What is Histogenesis?

Histogenesis is the formation of specific tissues and organs from undifferentiated cells in the primary germ layers (endoderm, ectoderm, and mesoderm) during embryonic development. It is an organized series of events taking place during embryogenesis. Histogenesis can be observed in both the cellular and tissue level. One example of histogenesis is the conversion of early mesoderm cells into muscle cells. Usually, histogenesis takes place in a large group of cells. Due to histogenesis, specific cells and tissue acquire functional specialization.

During histogenesis, endodermic cells convert into tissues of lungs, thyroid, and pancreas. Mesodermal cells generally convert into tissues of cardiac muscle, skeletal muscle, smooth muscle, tissues within the kidneys, and red blood cells. Ectodermal cells give rise to epidermis and aid in the formation of neurons within the brain, and melanocytes.

What is Morphogenesis?

Morphogenesis is the process that leads to the development of its shape. In other words, it is the biological process that causes an organism to attain its shape. It is one of the three fundamental aspects of developmental biology. Therefore, morphogenesis is responsible for the development of complex shapes of adults from the cells derived from a fertilized egg.

When considering tissues and organs, morphogenesis is the process of acquiring their shapes, which are critical to their function. In fact, morphogenesis is responsible for tissue and organ organization that decides the anatomy, physiology and behaviour of an organism. Most importantly, morphogenesis requires the spatial and temporal control of embryo mechanics to facilitate cell movement and conformational changes.

Some examples that explain morphogenesis:

1. A new plant changes its shape to a straight plant, branching plant or a twining plant
2. Human intestine folds many times in order to fit into the body
3. Human kidney branches in order to maximize its function

What are the Similarities Between Histogenesis and Morphogenesis?

• Histogenesis and morphogenesis are two processes of embryogenesis.
• Both processes are important for tissues and cells to acquire their functional specialization.
• They are responsible for tissue organization within the body.

What is the Difference Between Histogenesis and Morphogenesis?

Histogenesis is the formation of specialized tissues and organs from undifferentiated cells of three germ layers. On the other hand, morphogenesis is the process that gives shape to tissues or to an organism. So, this is the key difference between histogenesis and morphogenesis. Moreover, histogenesis is a result of cell differentiation, while morphogenesis is basically a result of cellular proliferation and motility. Thus, this is another difference between histogenesis and morphogenesis.

Summary – Histogenesis vs Morphogenesis

Histogenesis refers to the differentiation of undifferentiated cells of endoderm, ectoderm and mesoderm cells into specialized tissues and organs. Cells and tissues gain functional specialization due to histogenesis. Morphogenesis is the structure development which gives the final shape of the organism. Due to morphogenesis, tissues and organs acquire the shape that is critical to their function. Therefore, this summarizes the difference between histogenesis and morphogenesis.

Reference:

1. “Histogenesis.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 29 Dec. 2019, Available here.
2. “Morphogenesis.” Morphogenesis – an Overview | ScienceDirect Topics, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Hair follicle and inter-follicular epidermis morphogenesis” Von Gaelle, L. and Cédric, B., Medical applications of epidermal stem cells (November 15, 2008), StemBook, ed. The Stem Cell Research Community, StemBook, doi/10.3824/stembook.1.27.1, (CC BY 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Germ layers” By CNX –  (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia