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

Gastrulation

Gastrulation

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...

Neurulation

Neurulation

Neurulation is the embryological process which forms the precursors of the central nervous system and occurs after gastrulation has established the three primary cell layers of the embryo: ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. In humans, the majority of this system is formed via primary neurulation, in which the central portion of the ectoderm—originally appearing as a flat sheet of cells—folds upwards and inwards, sealing off to form a hollow neural tube. As development proceeds, the...

Determination

Determination

During embryogenesis, cells become progressively committed to different fates through a two-step process: specification followed by determination. Specification is demonstrated by removing a segment of an early embryo, “neutrally” culturing the tissue in vitro—for example, in a petri dish with simple medium—and then observing the derivatives. If the cultured region gives rise to cell types that it would normally generate in the embryo, this means that it is specified. In...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Glycan atlassing enables functional tracing of cell state.

Nature nanotechnology·2026

Same author

Hyaluronic acid and tissue mechanics orchestrate mammalian digit tip regeneration.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2026

Same author

Long-range chemical signalling in vivo is regulated by mechanical signals.

Nature materials·2026

Same author

Environmental stiffness regulates neuronal maturation via Piezo1-mediated transthyretin activity.

Nature communications·2025

Same author

Biphasic inflammation control by fibroblasts enables spinal cord regeneration in zebrafish.

Cell reports·2025

Same author

Substrate stiffness and pressure alter retinal Müller glia response and extracellular matrix production.

Biomaterials and biosystems·2025

Same journal

Epigenetic plasticity and chemoresistance in cancer: mechanisms, biomarkers, and translational opportunities for real-world evidence.

Frontiers in cell and developmental biology·2026

Same journal

Matched embryo-endometrium RNA-seq reveals coordinated but asymmetric transcriptomic reprogramming at the onset of early equine pregnancy.

Frontiers in cell and developmental biology·2026

Same journal

Myelin development in the peripheral nervous system of <i>Trachemys scripta</i>.

Frontiers in cell and developmental biology·2026

Same journal

A deep learning-based classification method for subclinical zonular laxity in AS-OCT images.

Frontiers in cell and developmental biology·2026

Same journal

Advancing fat graft survival: from adipose-derived stem cell mechanisms to next-generation regenerative strategies.

Frontiers in cell and developmental biology·2026

Same journal

CRISPR-based next-generation molecular diagnostics for bone infection.

Frontiers in cell and developmental biology·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 3, 2025

Three and Four-Dimensional Visualization and Analysis Approaches to Study Vertebrate Axial Elongation and Segmentation

Three and Four-Dimensional Visualization and Analysis Approaches to Study Vertebrate Axial Elongation and Segmentation

Published on: February 28, 2021

Axons in the Chick Embryo Follow Soft Pathways Through Developing Somite Segments.

Julia Schaeffer^1,2, Isabell P Weber¹, Amelia J Thompson¹

¹Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.

Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology

|July 25, 2022

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Motor axons exhibit segmented growth, guided by somite mechanical properties. Tissues with varying stiffness direct axon pathways, revealing a novel regulatory mechanism beyond chemical cues.

Keywords:

AFM axon pathfinding nervous system development somite polarity spinal motor axons stiffness patterns tissue stiffness

More Related Videos

Grafting of Beads into Developing Chicken Embryo Limbs to Identify Signal Transduction Pathways Affecting Gene Expression

Grafting of Beads into Developing Chicken Embryo Limbs to Identify Signal Transduction Pathways Affecting Gene Expression

Published on: January 17, 2016

Analysis of Neural Crest Migration and Differentiation by Cross-species Transplantation

Analysis of Neural Crest Migration and Differentiation by Cross-species Transplantation

Published on: February 7, 2012

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Sep 3, 2025

Three and Four-Dimensional Visualization and Analysis Approaches to Study Vertebrate Axial Elongation and Segmentation

Three and Four-Dimensional Visualization and Analysis Approaches to Study Vertebrate Axial Elongation and Segmentation

Published on: February 28, 2021

Grafting of Beads into Developing Chicken Embryo Limbs to Identify Signal Transduction Pathways Affecting Gene Expression

Grafting of Beads into Developing Chicken Embryo Limbs to Identify Signal Transduction Pathways Affecting Gene Expression

Published on: January 17, 2016

Analysis of Neural Crest Migration and Differentiation by Cross-species Transplantation

Analysis of Neural Crest Migration and Differentiation by Cross-species Transplantation

Published on: February 7, 2012

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Developmental Biology
Biophysics

Background:

Motor axon segmentation is crucial for peripheral nervous system development.
Chemical repulsive cues in somites are known regulators, but do not fully explain segmentation.
Neuronal growth is influenced by both chemical and mechanical signals.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the role of mechanical signals in motor axon segmentation.
To characterize the mechanical environment of outgrowing motor axons within somites.

Main Methods:

Atomic force microscopy-based indentation measurements on chick embryo somite strips.
Analysis of tissue stiffness gradients and their correlation with axon growth patterns.

Main Results:

Identified distinct stiffness gradients within somite segments preceding motor axon outgrowth.
Observed that motor axons preferentially grow within the anterior, softer regions of somites.
Correlated softer anterior tissues with lower cell body densities compared to stiffer posterior regions.

Conclusions:

Motor axon segmentation is regulated by mechanical cues, specifically stiffness gradients within somites.
Somites provide a mechanical landscape that guides motor axon growth pathways.
This study reveals a novel mechanical mechanism contributing to axon guidance during development.