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Apical constriction drives tissue-scale hydrodynamic flow to mediate cell elongation
Bing He1, Konstantin Doubrovinski1, Oleg Polyakov2
11] Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA [2].
Nature
|March 5, 2014
Summary
Tissue deformation during development relies on how forces transmit within cells. This study shows that cytoplasmic viscous flow, not individual cell shape changes, drives tissue folding in Drosophila embryos.
Area of Science:
- Developmental biology
- Cell biology
- Biophysics
Background:
- Epithelial folding is crucial for tissue formation during animal development.
- The mechanisms transmitting forces from apical constriction to global tissue deformation are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how forces generated by apical constriction are transmitted within cells during tissue morphogenesis.
- To elucidate the role of cytoplasmic flow and cell individualization in ventral furrow formation.
Main Methods:
- Particle tracking velocimetry was used to measure cytoplasmic and plasma membrane movement.
- Experiments were conducted in gastrulating Drosophila embryos, including acellular mutants.
Main Results:
- Cytoplasmic redistribution during ventral furrow lengthening follows viscous flow patterns predicted by hydrodynamics.
- Cell membranes exhibit minimal resistance or driving force on cytoplasmic flow.
- Apical constriction in acellular embryos generates similar cytoplasmic flow patterns as in wild-type embryos.
Conclusions:
- Hydrodynamic behavior of the cytoplasm is the primary mechanism for force transmission during ventral furrow lengthening.
- Cell individualization is not essential for the global tissue deformation observed during this process.
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