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Updated: Jul 12, 2026
09:35
Microcrystallography of Protein Crystals and In Cellulo Diffraction
Published on: July 21, 2017
Convergent extension and the hexahedral cell.
Jeremy B A Green1, Lance A Davidson
1Department of Craniofacial Development, King's College London, Guys Tower Floor 27, London SE1 9RT, UK. jeremy.green@kcl.ac.uk
Nature Cell Biology
|September 1, 2007
Summary
Embryonic cells use higher-order cell polarity to guide tissue elongation during development. This study reveals how this complex cell polarity directs tissue sculpting through coordinated cell rearrangements.
Area of Science:
- Developmental biology
- Cell biology
- Tissue engineering
Background:
- Embryonic development involves intricate cellular processes to form three-dimensional tissues.
- Cell polarity, crucial for cell function, is typically studied in one or two dimensions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of higher-order cell polarity in regulating embryonic tissue development.
- To elucidate the mechanisms by which cell polarity drives tissue elongation through cell rearrangement.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of cell polarity in three dimensions.
- Studying coordinated cell rearrangement during tissue sculpting.
- Investigating the regulation of convergent extension.
Main Results:
- Higher-order cell polarity is a key regulator of embryonic tissue sculpting.
- Convergent extension, a process of coordinated cell rearrangement, is directed by complex cell polarity.
- This higher-order polarity is essential for producing solid tissue elongation.
Conclusions:
- Cell polarity operates in higher dimensions to orchestrate tissue morphogenesis.
- Understanding higher-order cell polarity provides insights into fundamental developmental processes.
- This research highlights a novel mechanism for tissue elongation driven by cell polarity.
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