2 research outputs found
Polarized cortical tension drives zebrafish epiboly movements
The principles underlying the biomechanics of morphogenesis are
largely unknown. Epiboly is an essential embryonic event in which
three tissues coordinate to direct the expansion of the blastoderm.
How and where forces are generated during epiboly, and how
these are globally coupled remains elusive. Here we developed a
method, hydrodynamic regression (HR), to infer 3D pressure fields,
mechanical power, and cortical surface tension profiles. HR is
based on velocity measurements retrieved from 2D+T microscopy
and their hydrodynamic modeling. We applied HR to identify
biomechanically active structures and changes in cortex local
tension during epiboly in zebrafish. Based on our results, we
propose a novel physical description for epiboly, where tissue
movements are directed by a polarized gradient of cortical tension.
We found that this gradient relies on local contractile forces at the
cortex, differences in elastic properties between cortex components
and the passive transmission of forces within the yolk cell.
All in all, our work identifies a novel way to physically regulate
concerted cellular movements that might be instrumental for the
mechanical control of many morphogenetic processes.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft