SOX17 links gut endoderm morphogenesis with germ layer segregation

Gastrulation leads to three germ layers, ectoderm, mesoderm and endoderm that are separated by two basement membranes. In the mouse embryo, the emergent gut endoderm results from the widespread intercalation of cells of two distinct origins: pluripotent epiblast-derived definitive endoderm (DE) and extra-embryonic visceral endoderm (VE). Here we image the trajectory of prospective DE cells prior to intercalating into the VE epithelium. We show that the transcription factor SOX17, which is activated in prospective DE cells prior to intercalation, is necessary for gut endoderm morphogenesis and the assembly of the basement membrane that separates gut endoderm from mesoderm. Our results mechanistically link gut endoderm morphogenesis and germ layer segregation, two central and conserved features of gastrulation.