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Inverse blebs operate as hydraulic pumps during mouse blastocyst formation.
Markus F Schliffka1,2, Julien G Dumortier1, Diane Pelzer1
1Institut Curie, CNRS UMR3215, INSERM U934, PSL Research University and Sorbonne Université, Paris, France.
Nature Cell Biology
|September 11, 2024
Summary
Mouse embryos use inverse blebs to pump fluid, driving lumen expansion during early development. These cellular structures control fluid movement, essential for forming a single, fluid-filled cavity.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Cell Biology
- Biophysics
Background:
- Mouse embryos develop a fluid-filled lumen during preimplantation.
- Lumen formation involves fluid accumulation and coarsening of cellular pockets.
- Mechanisms controlling intercellular fluid movement during lumen coarsening remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of cellular structures in controlling intercellular fluid movement.
- To elucidate the mechanism of lumen coarsening in mouse embryos.
- To identify how cells regulate fluid dynamics during early development.
Main Methods:
- Observation of inverse blebs in mouse embryos using microscopy.
- Analysis of inverse bleb dynamics, including growth and retraction.
- Manipulation of embryo topology to assess the role of cell-cell contacts as fluid sinks.
- Investigation of the relationship between cell adhesion, pressure, and fluid movement.
Main Results:
- Hundreds of inverse blebs were observed, filling with intercellular fluid and retracting within minutes.
- Inverse blebs grow due to pressure from fluid accumulation and confined by cell adhesion.
- Actomyosin contraction drives inverse bleb retraction, propelling fluid.
- Multi-cellular contacts act as fluid sinks, preventing futile fluid cycling.
- Without sinks, inverse blebs engage in unproductive fluid pumping cycles.
Conclusions:
- Inverse blebs function as cellular hydraulic pumps.
- These pumps actively drive intercellular fluid movement to promote lumen coarsening.
- Inverse blebs are a key cellular mechanism for controlling fluid dynamics during embryonic development.
