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Related Experiment Videos

Mechanical control of tissue morphogenesis during embryological development.

Donald E Ingber1

  • 1Vascular Biology Program, Departments of Pathology and Surgery, Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA. donald.ingber@childrens.harvard.edu

The International Journal of Developmental Biology
|February 16, 2006
PubMed
Summary

Mechanical forces guide embryonic development. Changes in the extracellular matrix (ECM) alter cell shape and tension, controlling cell fate and tissue morphogenesis, confirming the role of cytoskeleton-ECM interactions in embryo sculpting.

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Area of Science:

  • Developmental biology
  • Biomechanics
  • Cell biology

Background:

  • A tensegrity model proposed mechanical interactions between cells and extracellular matrix (ECM) control embryonic tissue pattern formation via prestress.
  • This model suggested that ECM compliance changes could lead to cell stretching, influencing cell growth and function.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To confirm the role of mechanical forces in embryonic development.
  • To investigate the link between ECM mechanics, cell shape, and tissue morphogenesis.

Main Methods:

  • Review of experimental studies on cell fate modulation by cell shape.
  • Analysis of experiments in embryonic organ rudiments correlating basement membrane thinning, cell tension, and tissue budding.

Main Results:

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  • Cultured cells switch fates (growth, differentiation, apoptosis, motility, stem cell lineages) when cell shape is modulated.
  • Embryonic organ rudiments show a correlation between basement membrane thinning, cell tension, and new bud/branch formation.
  • Cytoskeletal tension modulation directly affects morphogenesis, with inhibition or acceleration observed.

Conclusions:

  • Mechanical forces generated by the cell cytoskeleton and exerted on ECM scaffolds are critical for embryo sculpting.
  • Cell shape and cytoskeletal tension are key regulators of cell fate and tissue morphogenesis during embryonic development.