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In Vivo Force Application Reveals a Fast Tissue Softening and External Friction Increase during Early Embryogenesis.
Arturo D'Angelo1, Kai Dierkes1, Carlo Carolis1
1Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Dr. Aiguader 88, Barcelona 08003, Spain.
Current Biology : CB
|April 30, 2019
Summary
Researchers developed a new method to measure tissue mechanics during embryo development. This technique reveals how tissue properties change during Drosophila cellularization, driven by the cytoskeleton and external friction.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Biophysics
- Cell Mechanics
Background:
- Cell-generated forces drive organism shaping through tissue deformations.
- Tissue mechanical properties, alongside forces, influence developmental outcomes.
- Existing methods struggle to link localized forces to in vivo tissue deformations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a novel method for quantifying tissue mechanical properties in vivo.
- To measure how these properties change dynamically during development.
- To investigate the mechanisms behind observed changes in tissue mechanics.
Main Methods:
- Controlled force application to a microparticle within an embryonic cell.
- Measurement of microparticle displacement and induced deformation fields.
- Analysis using a continuum mechanics framework to derive material properties.
Main Results:
- Quantified dynamic changes in tissue material properties over time.
- Observed rapid tissue response changes during Drosophila cellularization.
- Identified blastoderm softening, increased external friction, and microtubule cytoskeleton involvement.
Conclusions:
- The developed method enables quantitative measurement of tissue mechanics in vivo.
- Tissue mechanical properties are actively modulated during development to drive morphogenesis.
- Microtubules and external friction changes significantly impact epithelial mechanics during cellularization.
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