Patterns of Mitochondrial ATP Predict Tissue Folding

The construction of complex tissue shapes during embryonic development results from spatial patterns of gene expression and mechanical forces fueled by chemical energy from ATP hydrolysis. We find that chemical energy is similarly patterned during morphogenesis. Specifically, mitochondria are locally enriched at the apical sides of epithelial cells during apical constriction, which is widely used across the animal kingdom to fold epithelial tissues. Timelapse imaging, spatial transcriptomics, and measurements of oxygen consumption rate reveal that mitochondrial density, potential, and ATP increase in epithelial cells prior to actomyosin contraction and tissue folding, which is prevented by inhibiting oxidative phosphorylation. Mitochondrial enrichment and apicobasal patterning are conserved during apical constriction in flies, chicks, and mice, and these subcellular patterns can be used to predict computationally patterns of tissue folding. These findings highlight a spatial dimension of bioenergetics in embryonic development.