Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Determining the Plane of Cell Division

Determining the Plane of Cell Division

Positioning the cell division plane is a critical step during development and cell differentiation, particularly during mitosis when the plane is essential for determining the size of the two daughter cells. The cell division plane is perpendicular to the plane of chromosome segregation, but different types of organisms have different cell division mechanisms to suit their morphology and function.
Animal cells
In animal cells, the cleavage furrow forms along the plane of cell division...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Fluid Flow and Spatiotemporal Chaos in Chemically Active Emulsions.

Physical review letters·2026

Same author

Stochastic heat engine using a single Brownian ellipsoid.

Physical review. E·2026

Same author

Active and probe-free intracellular rheology via phase-sensitive thermoviscous flows.

PNAS nexus·2026

Same author

Advancing mechanobiology from single molecules to complex cellular systems.

Nature nanotechnology·2026

Same author

Role of extracellular vesicle-mediated neurodegeneration in substance use disorders.

Current opinion in physiology·2026

Same author

From global flocking to local clustering: Interplay between velocity alignment and visual perception of active particles.

The Journal of chemical physics·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 23, 2026

Fabricating a Kidney Cortex Extracellular Matrix-Derived Hydrogel

Fabricating a Kidney Cortex Extracellular Matrix-Derived Hydrogel

Published on: October 13, 2018

Determining Physical Properties of the Cell Cortex.

Arnab Saha¹, Masatoshi Nishikawa², Martin Behrndt³

¹Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Dresden, Germany; Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany.

Biophysical Journal

|March 31, 2016

Summary

Researchers developed a new in vivo method using laser ablation to measure physical properties of the actomyosin cortex. This technique accurately quantifies parameters like Maxwell time and hydrodynamic length, crucial for understanding cell and tissue shape changes.

More Related Videos

Preparing E18 Cortical Rat Neurons for Compartmentalization in a Microfluidic Device

Preparing E18 Cortical Rat Neurons for Compartmentalization in a Microfluidic Device

Published on: October 1, 2007

Author Spotlight: Shear Assay Protocol for the Determination of Single-Cell Material Properties

Author Spotlight: Shear Assay Protocol for the Determination of Single-Cell Material Properties

Published on: May 19, 2023

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 23, 2026

Fabricating a Kidney Cortex Extracellular Matrix-Derived Hydrogel

Fabricating a Kidney Cortex Extracellular Matrix-Derived Hydrogel

Published on: October 13, 2018

Preparing E18 Cortical Rat Neurons for Compartmentalization in a Microfluidic Device

Preparing E18 Cortical Rat Neurons for Compartmentalization in a Microfluidic Device

Published on: October 1, 2007

Author Spotlight: Shear Assay Protocol for the Determination of Single-Cell Material Properties

Author Spotlight: Shear Assay Protocol for the Determination of Single-Cell Material Properties

Published on: May 19, 2023

Area of Science:

Cell Biology
Biophysics
Developmental Biology

Background:

The actomyosin network beneath the cell membrane drives cell and tissue morphogenesis.
Material properties of the actomyosin cortex, such as Maxwell time (τM) and hydrodynamic length (λ), govern large-scale deformations and flows.
Accurate measurement of these physical parameters in vivo is essential for understanding developmental processes.

Purpose of the Study:

To introduce and validate a novel method for in vivo determination of actomyosin cortical layer physical parameters.
To investigate the actomyosin cortex response to laser ablation in early-stage embryos.
To provide accurate and robust measurements of key physical parameters governing cortical mechanics.

Main Methods:

Developed a laser ablation technique to perturb the actomyosin cortical layer in vivo.
Analyzed the cortical response by quantifying flow and density fields over space and time.
Determined physical parameters (Maxwell time τM, hydrodynamic length λ, active stress ratio ζΔmicro, friction γ) by fitting experimental data to a 2D active viscoelastic gel model.

Main Results:

Successfully applied laser ablation to probe the actomyosin cortex in one-cell-stage C. elegans and gastrulating zebrafish embryos.
Two distinct analysis methods (flow/density fields and ablated region shape evolution) yielded consistent best-fit physical parameters.
Obtained parameter values were in close agreement with each other and with previous estimates for these systems.

Conclusions:

The developed laser ablation method offers an accurate and robust approach for measuring in vivo physical parameters of the actomyosin cortex.
This technique is valuable for studying actomyosin mechanics at both cellular and tissue scales.
Findings provide insights into the active mechanics governing tissue-scale morphogenesis.