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Tissue hydraulics: Physics of lumen formation and interaction
Alejandro Torres-Sánchez1, Max Kerr Winter1, Guillaume Salbreux2
1The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, NW1 1AT, United Kingdom.
Cells & Development
|August 2, 2021
Summary
This review explores the physical forces driving lumen formation and growth in developing tissues. Understanding these principles is key to tissue morphogenesis and related biological processes.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Developmental Biology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Lumen formation is a critical process in tissue morphogenesis during development.
- Understanding the physical principles governing lumen dynamics is essential for developmental biology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the physical principles governing lumen growth and coarsening.
- To discuss the force, time, and length scales involved in lumen formation.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on lumen formation.
- Application of linear irreversible thermodynamics framework.
- Order of magnitude estimates of physical parameters.
Main Results:
- Identified key physical principles: solute pumping, hydraulic flows, force balance, and electro-osmotic effects.
- Discussed the interplay of these forces in lumen dynamics and steady-state.
- Provided estimates for physical parameters controlling lumen formation and coarsening.
Conclusions:
- Physical forces, including solute pumping, hydraulic flows, and cytoskeletal forces, are central to lumen formation and coarsening.
- Linear irreversible thermodynamics provides a framework for analyzing these complex processes.
- Quantitative estimates of physical parameters are crucial for understanding lumen development.
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