Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 6, 2025
09:56
Mapping the Emergent Spatial Organization of Mammalian Cells using Micropatterns and Quantitative Imaging
Published on: April 30, 2019
6.5K
Anisotropic Cell Shape and Motion Coordinate Hindbrain Neuropore Morphogenesis.
Fernanda Pérez-Verdugo1,2, Eirini Maniou3,4,5, Gabriel L Galea3
1Institute of Science and Technology Austria, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria.
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|November 28, 2024
Summary
Mechanical feedback, not just cell crawling or contraction, is crucial for organizing cell patterns during hindbrain development. This mechanism ensures tissue stability and proper spatial arrangement for vertebrate development.
Area of Science:
- Developmental biology
- Biophysics
- Cell biology
Background:
- Cell patterning is fundamental for tissue organization and body axis establishment.
- Hindbrain neuropore closure is a critical developmental event in vertebrates.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of physical forces and mechanical cues in cell patterning during hindbrain neuropore closure.
- To determine the mechanisms underlying the spatial and temporal organization of cells during this process.
Main Methods:
- Live-imaging of mouse embryos.
- Cell-based biophysical modeling.
- Experimental validation of a feedback-driven model.
Main Results:
- Active cell crawling and actomyosin contraction alone do not explain observed cell arrangements.
- Mechanosensitive feedback between cellular stress, shape, and nematic alignment is essential.
- This feedback establishes persistent cell shape memory, stalls rearrangements, and promotes tissue solidification.
Conclusions:
- Mechanical feedback is critical for establishing and maintaining cell morphological patterns during hindbrain closure.
- This process guides tissue-level morphogenesis through active, force-driven patterning.
- The findings highlight the importance of biophysical forces in developmental processes.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:30Neurulation
41.7K
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...
41.7K
01:56Gastrulation
56.6K
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...
56.6K
01:16Cell Motility through Blebbing
1.9K
Blebs are a type of membrane protrusion formed by the internal hydrostatic pressure of the cytoplasm. Blebs are observed in several cell types, including fibroblasts, immune cells, and single-celled organisms like the amoeba. The primary function of blebs is cell locomotion and apoptosis, but they are also found during necrosis and cell division. The life cycle of a bleb comprises an initiation phase followed by the expansion and retraction phases.
Blebbing Through the Matrix
In multicellular...
Blebbing Through the Matrix
In multicellular...
1.9K
01:31Mechanism of Lamellipodia Formation
2.5K
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...
2.5K