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Related Concept Videos

Cell-matrix's Response to Mechanical Forces01:13

Cell-matrix's Response to Mechanical Forces

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In animal cells, the extracellular matrix allows cells within tissues to withstand external stresses and transmits signals from the outside of the cell to the inside. The extracellular matrix is extensive, and its composition varies between different types of tissues. For example, the reticular fibers and ground substance make up the ECM in loose connective tissue, while collagen and bone minerals make up the ECM of bone tissue. 
Anchoring junctions mechanically attach a cell to the...
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Gastrulation01:56

Gastrulation

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Gastrulation establishes the three primary tissues of an embryo: the ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. This developmental process relies on a series of intricate cellular movements, which in humans transforms a flat, “bilaminar disc” composed of two cell sheets into a three-tiered structure. In the resulting embryo, the endoderm serves as the bottom layer, and stacked directly above it is the intermediate mesoderm, and then the uppermost ectoderm. Respectively, these tissue strata...
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Cadherins in Tissue Organization01:19

Cadherins in Tissue Organization

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The cadherins are a superfamily of cell adhesion molecules comprising over 180 variants, with specific tissues expressing a particular combination of cadherin types. Cadherins generally exhibit homophilic binding; i.e., cadherins on one cell bind to cadherins of the same or closely related type on another cell. Thus, cells of the same type have a specific affinity to bind to each other and sort themselves into clusters to form tissues.
Cell Sorting During Development
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Cell Migration01:19

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Cell migration is a process by which the cells move from one location to another, playing an essential role in embryological development, repair and regeneration, immune response, and metastasis. Cells migrate in response to chemical or mechanical signals generated by specific organs or tissues. The overall mechanism includes three steps - polarization, protrusion, and release. Polarization involves the formation of a distinct cell front and rear, which determines the direction of movement.
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Mechanism of Lamellipodia Formation01:31

Mechanism of Lamellipodia Formation

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Cells migrating in response to external stimuli form lamellipodia, which are thin membrane protrusions supported by a mesh of linked, branched, or unbranched actin filaments. These actin filaments interact with myosin motor proteins, creating the dynamic actomyosin complex within the cytoskeleton. Contractility, or the ability to generate contractile stress, is inherent to the actomyosin complex. It helps cells detect the stiffness of the surrounding ECM and exert contractile force for...
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Tension Response at Adherens Junctions01:26

Tension Response at Adherens Junctions

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The adherens junctions that anchor cells together are multi-protein complexes that dynamically adapt to mechanical stimuli such as tensile forces and shear stress. Mechanosensory proteins in these junctions can sense such mechanical stimuli and undergo a shift in their conformation, resulting in an altered function — a process called mechanotransduction.
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Updated: Oct 23, 2025

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Mechanics and self-organization in tissue development.

Pedro Gómez-Gálvez1, Samira Anbari2, Luis M Escudero1

  • 1Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla (IBiS), Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocio/CSIC/Universidad de Sevilla and Departamento de Biologia Celular, Universidad de Sevilla, 41013 Seville, Spain; Biomedical Network Research Centre on Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED), 28031 Madrid, Spain.

Seminars in Cell & Developmental Biology
|August 21, 2021
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Living systems exhibit self-organization for specialization and function. This review explores cell packing, sorting, and tissue-level organization, highlighting mechanics

Keywords:
Cell packingCell sortingDevelopmental mechanicsDevelopmental mechanismsERKEpitheliaSelf-organizationTraveling waves

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Area of Science:

  • Developmental Biology
  • Systems Biology
  • Biophysics

Background:

  • Self-organization is crucial for biological complexity, enabling specialization across scales.
  • Understanding self-organization is key to deciphering morphogenesis and tissue development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the concept of self-organization in living systems.
  • To explore mechanisms of cell packing, sorting, and tissue-level organization.
  • To highlight the role of theoretical models and mechanics in morphogenesis.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of theoretical models from Topology, Physics, and Dynamical Systems.
  • Analysis of self-organization phenomena: cell packing, sorting, and traveling waves.
  • Historical perspective on the evolution of ideas in self-organization research.

Main Results:

  • Mechanics is a key driver of morphogenesis.
  • Theoretical models provide insights into self-organization mechanisms.
  • Different scales of self-organization (cellular, population, tissue) are interconnected.

Conclusions:

  • Self-organization is a fundamental principle in biology, driven by mechanics.
  • Interdisciplinary approaches have advanced the understanding of biological self-organization.
  • Open questions remain regarding the precise control and future directions of self-organization research.