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Fabrication and Implementation of a Reference-Free Traction Force Microscopy Platform
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Capturing nematic order on tissue surfaces of arbitrary geometry.
Julia Eckert1, Toby G R Andrews2, Joseph Pollard3,4
1Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia. j.eckert@imb.uq.edu.au.
Nature Communications
|August 15, 2025
Summary
This study introduces a new image analysis pipeline to accurately measure tissue behavior in 3D. This method captures nematic order and topological defects in complex curved tissues, improving our understanding of tissue morphogenesis.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Developmental Biology
- Materials Science
Background:
- Tissues exhibit liquid crystal-like properties, combining viscoelasticity with local orientational order (nematic symmetry).
- Understanding tissue morphogenesis in 3D, particularly complex shapes, is limited by current 2D imaging analysis methods that lose crucial geometric information.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and demonstrate an image analysis pipeline capable of accurately capturing nematic order and topological defects on curved tissue surfaces.
- To provide a quantitative method for studying tissue morphogenesis in three dimensions.
Main Methods:
- Developed a novel image analysis pipeline designed for arbitrary tissue geometries.
- Applied the pipeline to analyze in vitro multicellular aggregates and in vivo zebrafish hearts.
Main Results:
- The pipeline successfully captures nematic order and topological defects on complex, curved tissue surfaces.
- Demonstrated the method's efficacy in both controlled multicellular aggregates and dynamic in vivo biological systems.
Conclusions:
- The developed pipeline overcomes limitations of 2D projection methods for analyzing tissue behavior in 3D.
- This advancement enables a more accurate understanding of tissue morphogenesis and large-scale tissue dynamics.
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