1
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Alvarez YD, van der Spuy M, Wang JX, Noordstra I, Tan SZ, Carroll M, Yap AS, Serralbo O, White MD. A Lifeact-EGFP quail for studying actin dynamics in vivo. J Cell Biol 2024; 223:e202404066. [PMID: 38913324 PMCID: PMC11194674 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.202404066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2024] [Revised: 05/15/2024] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Here, we report the generation of a transgenic Lifeact-EGFP quail line for the investigation of actin organization and dynamics during morphogenesis in vivo. This transgenic avian line allows for the high-resolution visualization of actin structures within the living embryo, from the subcellular filaments that guide cell shape to the supracellular assemblies that coordinate movements across tissues. The unique suitability of avian embryos to live imaging facilitates the investigation of previously intractable processes during embryogenesis. Using high-resolution live imaging approaches, we present the dynamic behaviors and morphologies of cellular protrusions in different tissue contexts. Furthermore, through the integration of live imaging with computational segmentation, we visualize cells undergoing apical constriction and large-scale actin structures such as multicellular rosettes within the neuroepithelium. These findings not only enhance our understanding of tissue morphogenesis but also demonstrate the utility of the Lifeact-EGFP transgenic quail as a new model system for live in vivo investigations of the actin cytoskeleton.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanina D. Alvarez
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Marise van der Spuy
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Jian Xiong Wang
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Ivar Noordstra
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Siew Zhuan Tan
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Murron Carroll
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Alpha S. Yap
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Olivier Serralbo
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIRO) Health and Biosecurity, Geelong, Australia
| | - Melanie D. White
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
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2
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Liu Y, Kim YS, Xue X, Miao Y, Kobayashi N, Sun S, Yan RZ, Yang Q, Pourquié O, Fu J. A human pluripotent stem cell-based somitogenesis model using microfluidics. Cell Stem Cell 2024; 31:1113-1126.e6. [PMID: 38981471 DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2024.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2023] [Revised: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 06/04/2024] [Indexed: 07/11/2024]
Abstract
Emerging human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC)-based embryo models are useful for studying human embryogenesis. Particularly, there are hPSC-based somitogenesis models using free-floating culture that recapitulate somite formation. Somitogenesis in vivo involves intricately orchestrated biochemical and biomechanical events. However, none of the current somitogenesis models controls biochemical gradients or biomechanical signals in the culture, limiting their applicability to untangle complex biochemical-biomechanical interactions that drive somitogenesis. Herein, we develop a human somitogenesis model by confining hPSC-derived presomitic mesoderm (PSM) tissues in microfabricated trenches. Exogenous microfluidic morphogen gradients imposed on the PSM tissues cause axial patterning and trigger spontaneous rostral-to-caudal somite formation. A mechanical theory is developed to explain the size dependency between somites and the PSM. The microfluidic somitogenesis model is further exploited to reveal regulatory roles of cellular and tissue biomechanics in somite formation. This study presents a useful microengineered, hPSC-based model for understanding the biochemical and biomechanical events that guide somite formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Liu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
| | - Yung Su Kim
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Xufeng Xue
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Yuchuan Miao
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Norio Kobayashi
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Shiyu Sun
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Robin Zhexuan Yan
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Qiong Yang
- Department of Biophysics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Department of Physics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Olivier Pourquié
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Jianping Fu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Department of Cell & Developmental Biology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
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3
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Maniou E, Todros S, Urciuolo A, Moulding DA, Magnussen M, Ampartzidis I, Brandolino L, Bellet P, Giomo M, Pavan PG, Galea GL, Elvassore N. Quantifying mechanical forces during vertebrate morphogenesis. NATURE MATERIALS 2024:10.1038/s41563-024-01942-9. [PMID: 38969783 DOI: 10.1038/s41563-024-01942-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2022] [Accepted: 06/05/2024] [Indexed: 07/07/2024]
Abstract
Morphogenesis requires embryonic cells to generate forces and perform mechanical work to shape their tissues. Incorrect functioning of these force fields can lead to congenital malformations. Understanding these dynamic processes requires the quantification and profiling of three-dimensional mechanics during evolving vertebrate morphogenesis. Here we describe elastic spring-like force sensors with micrometre-level resolution, fabricated by intravital three-dimensional bioprinting directly in the closing neural tubes of growing chicken embryos. Integration of calibrated sensor read-outs with computational mechanical modelling allows direct quantification of the forces and work performed by the embryonic tissues. As they displace towards the embryonic midline, the two halves of the closing neural tube reach a compression of over a hundred nano-newtons during neural fold apposition. Pharmacological inhibition of Rho-associated kinase to decrease the pro-closure force shows the existence of active anti-closure forces, which progressively widen the neural tube and must be overcome to achieve neural tube closure. Overall, our approach and findings highlight the intricate interplay between mechanical forces and tissue morphogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eirini Maniou
- Developmental Biology and Cancer, UCL GOS Institute of Child Health, London, UK
- Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
- Veneto Institute of Molecular Medicine, Padua, Italy
| | - Silvia Todros
- Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Anna Urciuolo
- Developmental Biology and Cancer, UCL GOS Institute of Child Health, London, UK
- Istituto di Ricerca Pediatrica, Fondazione Città della Speranza, Padua, Italy
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Dale A Moulding
- Developmental Biology and Cancer, UCL GOS Institute of Child Health, London, UK
| | - Michael Magnussen
- Developmental Biology and Cancer, UCL GOS Institute of Child Health, London, UK
| | - Ioakeim Ampartzidis
- Developmental Biology and Cancer, UCL GOS Institute of Child Health, London, UK
| | - Luca Brandolino
- Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
- Veneto Institute of Molecular Medicine, Padua, Italy
| | - Pietro Bellet
- Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
- Veneto Institute of Molecular Medicine, Padua, Italy
| | - Monica Giomo
- Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Piero G Pavan
- Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
- Istituto di Ricerca Pediatrica, Fondazione Città della Speranza, Padua, Italy
| | - Gabriel L Galea
- Developmental Biology and Cancer, UCL GOS Institute of Child Health, London, UK.
| | - Nicola Elvassore
- Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
- Veneto Institute of Molecular Medicine, Padua, Italy.
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4
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Romanos M, Salisbury T, Stephan S, Lansford R, Degond P, Trescases A, Bénazéraf B. Differential proliferation regulates multi-tissue morphogenesis during embryonic axial extension: integrating viscous modeling and experimental approaches. Development 2024; 151:dev202836. [PMID: 38856082 DOI: 10.1242/dev.202836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/11/2024]
Abstract
A major challenge in biology is to understand how mechanical interactions and cellular behavior affect the shapes of tissues and embryo morphology. The extension of the neural tube and paraxial mesoderm, which form the spinal cord and musculoskeletal system, respectively, results in the elongated shape of the vertebrate embryonic body. Despite our understanding of how each of these tissues elongates independently of the others, the morphogenetic consequences of their simultaneous growth and mechanical interactions are still unclear. Our study investigates how differential growth, tissue biophysical properties and mechanical interactions affect embryonic morphogenesis during axial extension using a 2D multi-tissue continuum-based mathematical model. Our model captures the dynamics observed in vivo by time-lapse imaging of bird embryos, and reveals the underestimated influence of differential tissue proliferation rates. We confirmed this prediction in quail embryos by showing that decreasing the rate of cell proliferation in the paraxial mesoderm affects long-term tissue dynamics, and shaping of both the paraxial mesoderm and the neighboring neural tube. Overall, our work provides a new theoretical platform upon which to consider the long-term consequences of tissue differential growth and mechanical interactions on morphogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michèle Romanos
- Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology Unit (MCD, UMR 5077), Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, 31062 Toulouse, France
- Institut de Mathématiques de Toulouse UMR 5219, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, 31062 Toulouse Cedex 9, France
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, Ecole Centrale de Lyon, INSA Lyon, Université Jean Monnet, ICJ UMR5208, 69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Tasha Salisbury
- The Saban Research Institute, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA
- University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Samuel Stephan
- Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology Unit (MCD, UMR 5077), Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, 31062 Toulouse, France
| | - Rusty Lansford
- The Saban Research Institute, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA
- University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Pierre Degond
- Institut de Mathématiques de Toulouse UMR 5219, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, 31062 Toulouse Cedex 9, France
| | - Ariane Trescases
- Institut de Mathématiques de Toulouse UMR 5219, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, 31062 Toulouse Cedex 9, France
| | - Bertrand Bénazéraf
- Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology Unit (MCD, UMR 5077), Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, 31062 Toulouse, France
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5
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Mok GF, Turner S, Smith EL, Mincarelli L, Lister A, Lipscombe J, Uzun V, Haerty W, Macaulay IC, Münsterberg AE. Single cell RNA-sequencing and RNA-tomography of the avian embryo extending body axis. Front Cell Dev Biol 2024; 12:1382960. [PMID: 38863942 PMCID: PMC11165230 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2024.1382960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2024] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Vertebrate body axis formation initiates during gastrulation and continues within the tail bud at the posterior end of the embryo. Major structures in the trunk are paired somites, which generate the musculoskeletal system, the spinal cord-forming part of the central nervous system, and the notochord, with important patterning functions. The specification of these different cell lineages by key signalling pathways and transcription factors is essential, however, a global map of cell types and expressed genes in the avian trunk is missing. Methods: Here we use high-throughput sequencing approaches to generate a molecular map of the emerging trunk and tailbud in the chick embryo. Results and Discussion: Single cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) identifies discrete cell lineages including somites, neural tube, neural crest, lateral plate mesoderm, ectoderm, endothelial and blood progenitors. In addition, RNA-seq of sequential tissue sections (RNA-tomography) provides a spatially resolved, genome-wide expression dataset for the avian tailbud and emerging body, comparable to other model systems. Combining the single cell and RNA-tomography datasets, we identify spatially restricted genes, focusing on somites and early myoblasts. Thus, this high-resolution transcriptome map incorporating cell types in the embryonic trunk can expose molecular pathways involved in body axis development.
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Affiliation(s)
- G. F. Mok
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom
| | - S. Turner
- Earlham Institute, Norwich, United Kingdom
| | - E. L. Smith
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom
| | | | - A. Lister
- Earlham Institute, Norwich, United Kingdom
| | | | - V. Uzun
- Earlham Institute, Norwich, United Kingdom
| | - W. Haerty
- Earlham Institute, Norwich, United Kingdom
| | | | - A. E. Münsterberg
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom
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6
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Boutillon A, Banavar SP, Campàs O. Conserved physical mechanisms of cell and tissue elongation. Development 2024; 151:dev202687. [PMID: 38767601 PMCID: PMC11190436 DOI: 10.1242/dev.202687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
Living organisms have the ability to self-shape into complex structures appropriate for their function. The genetic and molecular mechanisms that enable cells to do this have been extensively studied in several model and non-model organisms. In contrast, the physical mechanisms that shape cells and tissues have only recently started to emerge, in part thanks to new quantitative in vivo measurements of the physical quantities guiding morphogenesis. These data, combined with indirect inferences of physical characteristics, are starting to reveal similarities in the physical mechanisms underlying morphogenesis across different organisms. Here, we review how physics contributes to shape cells and tissues in a simple, yet ubiquitous, morphogenetic transformation: elongation. Drawing from observed similarities across species, we propose the existence of conserved physical mechanisms of morphogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arthur Boutillon
- Cluster of Excellence Physics of Life, TU Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - Samhita P. Banavar
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA
| | - Otger Campàs
- Cluster of Excellence Physics of Life, TU Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, 01307 Dresden, Germany
- Center for Systems Biology Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany
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7
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Oikonomou P, Calvary L, Cirne HC, Welch AE, Durel JF, Powell O, Nerurkar NL. Application of tissue-scale tension to avian epithelia in vivo to study multiscale mechanical properties and inter-germ layer coupling. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.04.588089. [PMID: 38617324 PMCID: PMC11014599 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.04.588089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
As cross-disciplinary approaches drawing from physics and mechanics have increasingly influenced our understanding of morphogenesis, the tools available to measure and perturb physical aspects of embryonic development have expanded as well. However, it remains a challenge to measure mechanical properties and apply exogenous tissue-scale forces in vivo, particularly for epithelia. Exploiting the size and accessibility of the developing chick embryo, here we describe a simple technique to quantitatively apply exogenous forces on the order of ~1-100 μN to the endodermal epithelium. To demonstrate the utility of this approach, we performed a series of proof-of-concept experiments that reveal fundamental and unexpected mechanical behaviors in the early chick embryo, including mechanotype heterogeneity among cells of the midgut endoderm, complex non-cell autonomous effects of actin disruption, and a high degree of mechanical coupling between the endoderm and adjacent paraxial mesoderm. To illustrate the broader utility of this method, we determined that forces on the order of ~ 10 μN are sufficient to unzip the neural tube during primary neurulation. Together, these findings provide basic insights into the mechanics of embryonic epithelia in vivo in the early avian embryo, and provide a useful tool for future investigations of how morphogenesis is influenced by mechanical factors.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lisa Calvary
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York NY 10027
| | - Helena C. Cirne
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York NY 10027
| | - Andreas E. Welch
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York NY 10027
| | - John F. Durel
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York NY 10027
| | - Olivia Powell
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York NY 10027
| | - Nandan L. Nerurkar
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York NY 10027
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8
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Loffet EA, Durel JF, Nerurkar NL. Evo-Devo Mechanobiology: The Missing Link. Integr Comp Biol 2023; 63:1455-1473. [PMID: 37193661 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icad033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/18/2023] Open
Abstract
While the modern framework of evolutionary development (evo-devo) has been decidedly genetic, historic analyses have also considered the importance of mechanics in the evolution of form. With the aid of recent technological advancements in both quantifying and perturbing changes in the molecular and mechanical effectors of organismal shape, how molecular and genetic cues regulate the biophysical aspects of morphogenesis is becoming increasingly well studied. As a result, this is an opportune time to consider how the tissue-scale mechanics that underlie morphogenesis are acted upon through evolution to establish morphological diversity. Such a focus will enable a field of evo-devo mechanobiology that will serve to better elucidate the opaque relations between genes and forms by articulating intermediary physical mechanisms. Here, we review how the evolution of shape is measured and related to genetics, how recent strides have been made in the dissection of developmental tissue mechanics, and how we expect these areas to coalesce in evo-devo studies in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elise A Loffet
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, 351 Engineering Terrace, 1210 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - John F Durel
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, 351 Engineering Terrace, 1210 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Nandan L Nerurkar
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, 351 Engineering Terrace, 1210 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10027, USA
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9
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Lenne PF, Tlili S. Learning the mechanobiology of development from gastruloids. Emerg Top Life Sci 2023; 7:417-422. [PMID: 38054574 DOI: 10.1042/etls20230081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Revised: 11/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023]
Abstract
Gastruloids acquire their organization and shape through cell biochemical and mechanical activities. Such activities determine the physical forces and changes in material properties that transform simple spherical aggregates into organized tissues. In this Perspective, we discuss why the concepts and approaches of mechanobiology, a discipline that focuses on cell and tissue mechanics and its contribution to the organization and functions of living systems, are essential to the gastruloid field and, in turn, what gastruloids may teach us about mechanobiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre-François Lenne
- Aix Marseille University, CNRS, IBDM (UMR 7288), Turing Centre for Living Systems, Marseille, France
| | - Sham Tlili
- Aix Marseille University, CNRS, IBDM (UMR 7288), Turing Centre for Living Systems, Marseille, France
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10
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Dingare C, Steventon B. Gastruloids - a minimalistic model to study complex developmental metabolism. Emerg Top Life Sci 2023; 7:455-464. [PMID: 38108463 PMCID: PMC10754324 DOI: 10.1042/etls20230082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2023] [Revised: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Metabolic networks are well placed to orchestrate the coordination of multiple cellular processes associated with embryonic development such as cell growth, proliferation, differentiation and cell movement. Here, we discuss the advantages that gastruloids, aggregates of mammalian embryonic stem cells that self-assemble a rudimentary body plan, have for uncovering the instructive role of metabolic pathways play in directing developmental processes. We emphasise the importance of using such reductionist systems to link specific pathways to defined events of early mammalian development and their utility for obtaining enough material for metabolomic studies. Finally, we review the ways in which the basic gastruloid protocol can be adapted to obtain specific models of embryonic cell types, tissues and regions. Together, we propose that gastruloids are an ideal system to rapidly uncover new mechanistic links between developmental signalling pathways and metabolic networks, which can then inform precise in vivo studies to confirm their function in the embryo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chaitanya Dingare
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, Cambridge CB2 3EH, U.K
| | - Ben Steventon
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, Cambridge CB2 3EH, U.K
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11
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Frith TJR, Briscoe J, Boezio GLM. From signalling to form: the coordination of neural tube patterning. Curr Top Dev Biol 2023; 159:168-231. [PMID: 38729676 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2023.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/12/2024]
Abstract
The development of the vertebrate spinal cord involves the formation of the neural tube and the generation of multiple distinct cell types. The process starts during gastrulation, combining axial elongation with specification of neural cells and the formation of the neuroepithelium. Tissue movements produce the neural tube which is then exposed to signals that provide patterning information to neural progenitors. The intracellular response to these signals, via a gene regulatory network, governs the spatial and temporal differentiation of progenitors into specific cell types, facilitating the assembly of functional neuronal circuits. The interplay between the gene regulatory network, cell movement, and tissue mechanics generates the conserved neural tube pattern observed across species. In this review we offer an overview of the molecular and cellular processes governing the formation and patterning of the neural tube, highlighting how the remarkable complexity and precision of vertebrate nervous system arises. We argue that a multidisciplinary and multiscale understanding of the neural tube development, paired with the study of species-specific strategies, will be crucial to tackle the open questions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - James Briscoe
- The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom.
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12
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Masak G, Davidson LA. Constructing the pharyngula: Connecting the primary axial tissues of the head with the posterior axial tissues of the tail. Cells Dev 2023; 176:203866. [PMID: 37394035 PMCID: PMC10756936 DOI: 10.1016/j.cdev.2023.203866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Revised: 06/04/2023] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
The pharyngula stage of vertebrate development is characterized by stereotypical arrangement of ectoderm, mesoderm, and neural tissues from the anterior spinal cord to the posterior, yet unformed tail. While early embryologists over-emphasized the similarity between vertebrate embryos at the pharyngula stage, there is clearly a common architecture upon which subsequent developmental programs generate diverse cranial structures and epithelial appendages such as fins, limbs, gills, and tails. The pharyngula stage is preceded by two morphogenetic events: gastrulation and neurulation, which establish common shared structures despite the occurrence of cellular processes that are distinct to each of the species. Even along the body axis of a singular organism, structures with seemingly uniform phenotypic characteristics at the pharyngula stage have been established by different processes. We focus our review on the processes underlying integration of posterior axial tissue formation with the primary axial tissues that creates the structures laid out in the pharyngula. Single cell sequencing and novel gene targeting technologies have provided us with new insights into the differences between the processes that form the anterior and posterior axis, but it is still unclear how these processes are integrated to create a seamless body. We suggest that the primary and posterior axial tissues in vertebrates form through distinct mechanisms and that the transition between these mechanisms occur at different locations along the anterior-posterior axis. Filling gaps that remain in our understanding of this transition could resolve ongoing problems in organoid culture and regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geneva Masak
- Integrative Systems Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Lance A Davidson
- Integrative Systems Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA; Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA; Department of Developmental Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA; Department of Computational and Systems Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA.
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13
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Oikonomou P, Cirne HC, Nerurkar NL. A chemo-mechanical model of endoderm movements driving elongation of the amniote hindgut. Development 2023; 150:dev202010. [PMID: 37840469 PMCID: PMC10690059 DOI: 10.1242/dev.202010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
Although mechanical and biochemical descriptions of development are each essential, integration of upstream morphogenic cues with downstream tissue mechanics remains understudied during vertebrate morphogenesis. Here, we developed a two-dimensional chemo-mechanical model to investigate how mechanical properties of the endoderm and transport properties of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) regulate avian hindgut morphogenesis in a coordinated manner. Posterior endoderm cells convert a gradient of FGF ligands into a contractile force gradient, leading to a force imbalance that drives collective cell movements that elongate the forming hindgut tube. We formulated a 2D reaction-diffusion-advection model describing the formation of an FGF protein gradient as a result of posterior displacement of cells transcribing unstable Fgf8 mRNA during axis elongation, coupled with translation, diffusion and degradation of FGF protein. The endoderm was modeled as an active viscous fluid that generates contractile stresses in proportion to FGF concentration. With parameter values constrained by experimental data, the model replicates key aspects of hindgut morphogenesis, suggests that graded isotropic contraction is sufficient to generate large anisotropic cell movements, and provides new insight into how chemo-mechanical coupling across the mesoderm and endoderm coordinates hindgut elongation with axis elongation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Panagiotis Oikonomou
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, 351 Engineering Terrace, 1210 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Helena C. Cirne
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, 351 Engineering Terrace, 1210 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Nandan L. Nerurkar
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, 351 Engineering Terrace, 1210 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10027, USA
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14
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Liu Y, Kim YS, Xue X, Kobayashi N, Sun S, Yang Q, Pourquié O, Fu J. A human pluripotent stem cell-based somitogenesis model using microfluidics. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.29.564399. [PMID: 37961125 PMCID: PMC10634932 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.29.564399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
Emerging human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC)-based embryo models are useful for studying human embryogenesis. Particularly, there are hPSC-based somitogenesis models using free-floating culture that recapitulate somite formation. Somitogenesis in vivo involves intricately orchestrated bio-chemical and -mechanical events. However, none of the current somitogenesis models controls biochemical gradients or biomechanical signals in the culture, limiting their applicability to untangle complex biochemical-biomechanical interactions that drive somitogenesis. Here we report a new human somitogenesis model by confining hPSC-derived presomitic mesoderm (PSM) tissues in microfabricated trenches. Exogenous microfluidic morphogen gradients imposed on PSM cause axial patterning and trigger spontaneous rostral-to-caudal somite formation. A mechanical theory is developed to explain the size dependency between somites and PSM. The microfluidic somitogenesis model is further exploited to reveal regulatory roles of cellular and tissue biomechanics in somite formation. This study presents a useful microengineered, hPSC-based model for understanding the bio-chemical and -mechanical events that guide somite formation.
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15
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Masayuki O, Reymann AC. Meeting report: Third Franco-Japanese developmental biology meeting "New Frontiers in developmental biology: Celebrating the diversity of life". Genesis 2023; 61:e23527. [PMID: 37313745 DOI: 10.1002/dvg.23527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Revised: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The French and Japanese Developmental Biology Societies, teaming up with Human Frontier Science Program, were eager to meet back in person in November 2022 in the lovely city of Strasbourg. Top scientists in the developmental biology field from France and Japan, but also from United States, United Kingdom, Switzerland or Germany shared their exciting science during the 4 days of this meeting. Core fields of developmental biology such as morphogenesis, patterning, cell identity, and cell state transition, notably at the single cell level, were well represented, and a diversity of experimental models, including plants, animals, and other exotic organisms, as well as some in vitro cellular models, were covered. This event also extended the scope of classic scientific gatherings for two reasons. First the involvement of artists during the preparation of the event and on site. Second, part of the meeting was open for the general public through a series of outreach events, including a music and video presentation through projection mapping at Rohan palace, as well as public lectures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oginuma Masayuki
- Department of Homeostatic Regulation, Division of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Anne-Cécile Reymann
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, IGBMC, Illkirch, France
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, CNRS, Illkirch, France
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, INSERM, Illkirch, France
- Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
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16
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Schmitter C, Di-Luoffo M, Guillermet-Guibert J. Transducing compressive forces into cellular outputs in cancer and beyond. Life Sci Alliance 2023; 6:e202201862. [PMID: 37364915 PMCID: PMC10292664 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202201862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Revised: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
In living organisms, cells sense mechanical forces (shearing, tensile, and compressive) and respond to those physical cues through a process called mechanotransduction. This process includes the simultaneous activation of biochemical signaling pathways. Recent studies mostly on human cells revealed that compressive forces selectively modulate a wide range of cell behavior, both in compressed and in neighboring less compressed cells. Besides participating in tissue homeostasis such as bone healing, compression is also involved in pathologies, including intervertebral disc degeneration or solid cancers. In this review, we will summarize the current scattered knowledge of compression-induced cell signaling pathways and their subsequent cellular outputs, both in physiological and pathological conditions, such as solid cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Céline Schmitter
- CRCT, Université de Toulouse, Inserm, CNRS, Université Toulouse-III Paul Sabatier, Centre de Recherches en Cancérologie de Toulouse, Toulouse, France
- Labex Toucan, Toulouse, France
- Master de Biologie, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Mickaël Di-Luoffo
- CRCT, Université de Toulouse, Inserm, CNRS, Université Toulouse-III Paul Sabatier, Centre de Recherches en Cancérologie de Toulouse, Toulouse, France
- Labex Toucan, Toulouse, France
| | - Julie Guillermet-Guibert
- CRCT, Université de Toulouse, Inserm, CNRS, Université Toulouse-III Paul Sabatier, Centre de Recherches en Cancérologie de Toulouse, Toulouse, France
- Labex Toucan, Toulouse, France
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17
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Kunz D, Wang A, Chan CU, Pritchard RH, Wang W, Gallo F, Bradshaw CR, Terenzani E, Müller KH, Huang YYS, Xiong F. Downregulation of extraembryonic tension controls body axis formation in avian embryos. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3266. [PMID: 37277340 PMCID: PMC10241863 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38988-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Embryonic tissues undergoing shape change draw mechanical input from extraembryonic substrates. In avian eggs, the early blastoderm disk is under the tension of the vitelline membrane (VM). Here we report that the chicken VM characteristically downregulates tension and stiffness to facilitate stage-specific embryo morphogenesis. Experimental relaxation of the VM early in development impairs blastoderm expansion, while maintaining VM tension in later stages resists the convergence of the posterior body causing stalled elongation, failure of neural tube closure, and axis rupture. Biochemical and structural analysis shows that VM weakening is associated with the reduction of outer-layer glycoprotein fibers, which is caused by an increasing albumen pH due to CO2 release from the egg. Our results identify a previously unrecognized potential cause of body axis defects through mis-regulation of extraembryonic tissue tension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniele Kunz
- Wellcome Trust / CRUK Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Anfu Wang
- Wellcome Trust / CRUK Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Chon U Chan
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Robyn H Pritchard
- Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Wenyu Wang
- Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Filomena Gallo
- Cambridge Advanced Imaging Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Charles R Bradshaw
- Wellcome Trust / CRUK Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Elisa Terenzani
- Wellcome Trust / CRUK Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Karin H Müller
- Cambridge Advanced Imaging Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Fengzhu Xiong
- Wellcome Trust / CRUK Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
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18
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Genuth MA, Kojima Y, Jülich D, Kiryu H, Holley SA. Automated time-lapse data segmentation reveals in vivo cell state dynamics. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadf1814. [PMID: 37267354 PMCID: PMC10413672 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adf1814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Embryonic development proceeds as a series of orderly cell state transitions built upon noisy molecular processes. We defined gene expression and cell motion states using single-cell RNA sequencing data and in vivo time-lapse cell tracking data of the zebrafish tailbud. We performed a parallel identification of these states using dimensional reduction methods and a change point detection algorithm. Both types of cell states were quantitatively mapped onto embryos, and we used the cell motion states to study the dynamics of biological state transitions over time. The time average pattern of cell motion states is reproducible among embryos. However, individual embryos exhibit transient deviations from the time average forming left-right asymmetries in collective cell motion. Thus, the reproducible pattern of cell states and bilateral symmetry arise from temporal averaging. In addition, collective cell behavior can be a source of asymmetry rather than a buffer against noisy individual cell behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam A. Genuth
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Yasuhiro Kojima
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Division of Systems Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya 4668550, Japan
- Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan
| | - Dörthe Jülich
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Hisanori Kiryu
- Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan
| | - Scott A. Holley
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
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19
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Oikonomou P, Cirne HC, Nerurkar NL. A chemo-mechanical model of endoderm movements driving elongation of the amniote hindgut. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.05.18.541363. [PMID: 37292966 PMCID: PMC10245718 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.18.541363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
While mechanical and biochemical descriptions of development are each essential, integration of upstream morphogenic cues with downstream tissue mechanics remains understudied in many contexts during vertebrate morphogenesis. A posterior gradient of Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF) ligands generates a contractile force gradient in the definitive endoderm, driving collective cell movements to form the hindgut. Here, we developed a two-dimensional chemo-mechanical model to investigate how mechanical properties of the endoderm and transport properties of FGF coordinately regulate this process. We began by formulating a 2-D reaction-diffusion-advection model that describes the formation of an FGF protein gradient due to posterior displacement of cells transcribing unstable Fgf8 mRNA during axis elongation, coupled with translation, diffusion, and degradation of FGF protein. This was used together with experimental measurements of FGF activity in the chick endoderm to inform a continuum model of definitive endoderm as an active viscous fluid that generates contractile stresses in proportion to FGF concentration. The model replicated key aspects of hindgut morphogenesis, confirms that heterogeneous - but isotropic - contraction is sufficient to generate large anisotropic cell movements, and provides new insight into how chemo-mechanical coupling across the mesoderm and endoderm coordinates hindgut elongation with outgrowth of the tailbud.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Helena C. Cirne
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York NY 10027
| | - Nandan L. Nerurkar
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York NY 10027
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20
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Stepien BK, Pawolski V, Wagner MC, Kurth T, Schmidt MHH, Epperlein HH. The Role of Posterior Neural Plate-Derived Presomitic Mesoderm (PSM) in Trunk and Tail Muscle Formation and Axis Elongation. Cells 2023; 12:cells12091313. [PMID: 37174713 PMCID: PMC10177618 DOI: 10.3390/cells12091313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2023] [Revised: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Elongation of the posterior body axis is distinct from that of the anterior trunk and head. Early drivers of posterior elongation are the neural plate/tube and notochord, later followed by the presomitic mesoderm (PSM), together with the neural tube and notochord. In axolotl, posterior neural plate-derived PSM is pushed posteriorly by convergence and extension of the neural plate. The PSM does not go through the blastopore but turns anteriorly to join the gastrulated paraxial mesoderm. To gain a deeper understanding of the process of axial elongation, a detailed characterization of PSM morphogenesis, which precedes somite formation, and of other tissues (such as the epidermis, lateral plate mesoderm and endoderm) is needed. We investigated these issues with specific tissue labelling techniques (DiI injections and GFP+ tissue grafting) in combination with optical tissue clearing and 3D reconstructions. We defined a spatiotemporal order of PSM morphogenesis that is characterized by changes in collective cell behaviour. The PSM forms a cohesive tissue strand and largely retains this cohesiveness even after epidermis removal. We show that during embryogenesis, the PSM, as well as the lateral plate and endoderm move anteriorly, while the net movement of the axis is posterior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara K Stepien
- Institute of Anatomy, Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden School of Medicine, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - Verena Pawolski
- Institute of Anatomy, Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden School of Medicine, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - Marc-Christoph Wagner
- Institute of Anatomy, Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden School of Medicine, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - Thomas Kurth
- Center for Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering (CMCB), Technology Platform, Electron Microscopy and Histology Facility, Technische Universität Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - Mirko H H Schmidt
- Institute of Anatomy, Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden School of Medicine, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - Hans-Henning Epperlein
- Institute of Anatomy, Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden School of Medicine, 01062 Dresden, Germany
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21
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Chan CU, Xiong F, Michaut A, Vidigueira JMN, Pourquié O, Mahadevan L. Direct force measurement and loading on developing tissues in intact avian embryos. Development 2023; 150:dev201054. [PMID: 37070753 PMCID: PMC10259510 DOI: 10.1242/dev.201054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 04/19/2023]
Abstract
Developmental morphogenesis is driven by tissue stresses acting on tissue rheology. Direct measurements of forces in small tissues (100 µm-1 mm) in situ, such as in early embryos, require high spatial precision and minimal invasiveness. Here, we introduce a control-based approach, tissue force microscopy (TiFM), that integrates a mechanical cantilever probe and live imaging with closed-loop feedback control of mechanical loading in early chicken embryos. By testing previously qualitatively characterized force-producing tissues in the elongating body axis, we show that TiFM quantitatively captures stress dynamics with high sensitivity. TiFM also provides the means to apply stable, minimally invasive and physiologically relevant loads to drive tissue deformation and to follow the resulting morphogenetic progression associated with large-scale cell movements. Together, TiFM allows us to control tissue force measurement and manipulation in small developing embryos, and promises to contribute to the quantitative understanding of complex multi-tissue mechanics during development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chon U. Chan
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR, Singapore 138673
| | - Fengzhu Xiong
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- Department of Pathology, Brigham Women's Hospital and Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Wellcome Trust/CRUK Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1QN, UK
| | - Arthur Michaut
- Department of Pathology, Brigham Women's Hospital and Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | | | - Olivier Pourquié
- Department of Pathology, Brigham Women's Hospital and Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - L. Mahadevan
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
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22
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Christodoulou N, Skourides PA. Somitic mesoderm morphogenesis is necessary for neural tube closure during Xenopus development. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 10:1091629. [PMID: 36699010 PMCID: PMC9868421 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.1091629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Neural tube closure is a fundamental process during vertebrate embryogenesis, which leads to the formation of the central nervous system. Defective neural tube closure leads to neural tube defects which are some of the most common human birth defects. While the intrinsic morphogenetic events shaping the neuroepithelium have been studied extensively, how tissues mechanically coupled with the neural plate influence neural tube closure remains poorly understood. Here, using Xenopus laevis embryos, live imaging in combination with loss of function experiments and morphometric analysis of fixed samples we explore the reciprocal mechanical communication between the neural plate and the somitic mesoderm and its impact on tissue morphogenesis. We show that although somitic mesoderm convergent extension occurs independently from neural plate morphogenesis neural tube closure depends on somitic mesoderm morphogenesis. Specifically, impaired somitic mesoderm remodelling results in defective apical constriction within the neuroepithelium and failure of neural tube closure. Last, our data reveal that mild abnormalities in somitic mesoderm and neural plate morphogenesis have a synergistic effect during neurulation, leading to severe neural tube closure defects. Overall, our data reveal that defective morphogenesis of tissues mechanically coupled with the neural plate can not only drastically exacerbate mild neural tube defects that may arise from abnormalities within the neural tissue but can also elicit neural tube defects even when the neural plate is itself free of inherent defects.
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23
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Özelçi E, Mailand E, Rüegg M, Oates AC, Sakar MS. Deconstructing body axis morphogenesis in zebrafish embryos using robot-assisted tissue micromanipulation. Nat Commun 2022; 13:7934. [PMID: 36566327 PMCID: PMC9789989 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-35632-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Classic microsurgical techniques, such as those used in the early 1900s by Mangold and Spemann, have been instrumental in advancing our understanding of embryonic development. However, these techniques are highly specialized, leading to issues of inter-operator variability. Here we introduce a user-friendly robotic microsurgery platform that allows precise mechanical manipulation of soft tissues in zebrafish embryos. Using our platform, we reproducibly targeted precise regions of tail explants, and quantified the response in real-time by following notochord and presomitic mesoderm (PSM) morphogenesis and segmentation clock dynamics during vertebrate anteroposterior axis elongation. We find an extension force generated through the posterior notochord that is strong enough to buckle the structure. Our data suggest that this force generates a unidirectional notochord extension towards the tailbud because PSM tissue around the posterior notochord does not let it slide anteriorly. These results complement existing biomechanical models of axis elongation, revealing a critical coupling between the posterior notochord, the tailbud, and the PSM, and show that somite patterning is robust against structural perturbations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ece Özelçi
- Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Institute of Bioengineering, EPFL, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Erik Mailand
- Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Matthias Rüegg
- Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Andrew C Oates
- Institute of Bioengineering, EPFL, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Mahmut Selman Sakar
- Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland.
- Institute of Bioengineering, EPFL, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland.
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24
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Thiagarajan R, Bhat A, Salbreux G, Inamdar MM, Riveline D. Pulsations and flows in tissues as two collective dynamics with simple cellular rules. iScience 2022; 25:105053. [PMID: 36204277 PMCID: PMC9531052 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Revised: 06/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Collective motions of epithelial cells are essential for morphogenesis. Tissues elongate, contract, flow, and oscillate, thus sculpting embryos. These tissue level dynamics are known, but the physical mechanisms at the cellular level are unclear. Here, we demonstrate that a single epithelial monolayer of MDCK cells can exhibit two types of local tissue kinematics, pulsations and long range coherent flows, characterized by using quantitative live imaging. We report that these motions can be controlled with internal and external cues such as specific inhibitors and substrate friction modulation. We demonstrate the associated mechanisms with a unified vertex model. When cell velocity alignment and random diffusion of cell polarization are comparable, a pulsatile flow emerges whereas tissue undergoes long-range flows when velocity alignment dominates which is consistent with cytoskeletal dynamics measurements. We propose that environmental friction, acto-myosin distributions, and cell polarization kinetics are important in regulating dynamics of tissue morphogenesis. Two collective cell motions, pulsations and flows, coexist in MDCK monolayers Each collective movement is identified using divergence and velocity correlations Motion is controlled by the regulation of substrate friction and cytoskeleton A vertex model recapitulates the motion by tuning velocity and polarity alignment
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Affiliation(s)
- Raghavan Thiagarajan
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Illkirch, France
- Laboratory of Cell Physics ISIS/IGBMC, CNRS and Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR7104, Illkirch, France
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U964, Illkirch, France
| | - Alka Bhat
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Illkirch, France
- Laboratory of Cell Physics ISIS/IGBMC, CNRS and Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR7104, Illkirch, France
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U964, Illkirch, France
| | | | - Mandar M. Inamdar
- Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, India
- Corresponding author
| | - Daniel Riveline
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Illkirch, France
- Laboratory of Cell Physics ISIS/IGBMC, CNRS and Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR7104, Illkirch, France
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U964, Illkirch, France
- Corresponding author
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25
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Christodoulou N, Skourides PA. Distinct spatiotemporal contribution of morphogenetic events and mechanical tissue coupling during Xenopus neural tube closure. Development 2022; 149:275604. [PMID: 35662330 PMCID: PMC9340557 DOI: 10.1242/dev.200358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Neural tube closure (NTC) is a fundamental process during vertebrate development and is indispensable for the formation of the central nervous system. Here, using Xenopus laevis embryos, live imaging, single-cell tracking, optogenetics and loss-of-function experiments, we examine the roles of convergent extension and apical constriction, and define the role of the surface ectoderm during NTC. We show that NTC is a two-stage process with distinct spatiotemporal contributions of convergent extension and apical constriction at each stage. Convergent extension takes place during the first stage and is spatially restricted at the posterior tissue, whereas apical constriction occurs during the second stage throughout the neural plate. We also show that the surface ectoderm is mechanically coupled with the neural plate and its movement during NTC is driven by neural plate morphogenesis. Finally, we show that an increase in surface ectoderm resistive forces is detrimental for neural plate morphogenesis. Summary: Detailed characterization of the contribution of distinct morphogenetic processes and mechanical tissue coupling during neural tube closure, a process indispensable for central nervous system formation in vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neophytos Christodoulou
- University of Cyprus Department of Biological Sciences , , P.O. Box 20537, 2109 Nicosia , Cyprus
| | - Paris A. Skourides
- University of Cyprus Department of Biological Sciences , , P.O. Box 20537, 2109 Nicosia , Cyprus
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26
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Tsujikawa K, Saito K, Nagasaka A, Miyata T. Developmentally interdependent stretcher-compressor relationship between the embryonic brain and the surrounding scalp in the preosteogenic head. Dev Dyn 2022; 251:1107-1122. [PMID: 34997665 PMCID: PMC9306662 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2021] [Revised: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND How developing brains mechanically interact with the surrounding embryonic scalp layers (ie, epidermal and mesenchymal) in the preosteogenic head remains unknown. Between embryonic day (E) 11 and E13 in mice, before ossification starts in the skull vault, the angle between the pons and the medulla decreases, raising the possibility that when the elastic scalp is directly pushed outward by the growing brain and thus stretched, it recoils inward in response, thereby confining and folding the brain. RESULTS Stress-release tests showed that the E11-13 scalp recoiled and that the in vivo prestretch prerequisite for this recoil was physically dependent on the brain (pressurization at 77-93 Pa) and on actomyosin and elastin within the scalp. In scalp-removed heads, brainstem folding was reduced, and the spreading of ink from the lateral ventricle to the spinal cord that occurred in scalp-intact embryos (with >5 μL injection) was lost, suggesting roles of the embryonic scalp in brain morphogenesis and cerebrospinal fluid homeostasis. Under nonstretched conditions, scalp cell proliferation declined, while the restretching of the shrunken scalp rescued scalp cell proliferation. CONCLUSIONS In the embryonic mouse head before ossification, a stretcher-compressor relationship elastically develops between the brain and the scalp, underlying their mechanically interdependent development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Koichiro Tsujikawa
- Department of Anatomy and Cell BiologyNagoya University Graduate School of MedicineNagoyaJapan
| | - Kanako Saito
- Department of Anatomy and Cell BiologyNagoya University Graduate School of MedicineNagoyaJapan
- Department of PhysiologyFujita Health UniversityToyoakeJapan
| | - Arata Nagasaka
- Division of AnatomyMeikai University School of DentistrySakadoJapan
| | - Takaki Miyata
- Department of Anatomy and Cell BiologyNagoya University Graduate School of MedicineNagoyaJapan
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27
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Guidance by followers ensures long-range coordination of cell migration through α-catenin mechanoperception. Dev Cell 2022; 57:1529-1544.e5. [PMID: 35613615 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2022.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Revised: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Morphogenesis, wound healing, and some cancer metastases depend upon the migration of cell collectives that need to be guided to their destination as well as coordinated with other cell movements. During zebrafish gastrulation, the extension of the embryonic axis is led by the mesendodermal polster that migrates toward the animal pole, followed by the axial mesoderm that undergoes convergence and extension. Here, we investigate how polster cells are guided toward the animal pole. Using a combination of precise laser ablations, advanced transplants, and functional as well as in silico approaches, we establish that each polster cell is oriented by its immediate follower cells. Each cell perceives the migration of followers, through E-cadherin/α-catenin mechanotransduction, and aligns with them. Therefore, directional information propagates from cell to cell over the whole tissue. Such guidance of migrating cells by followers ensures long-range coordination of movements and developmental robustness.
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28
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Vignes H, Vagena-Pantoula C, Vermot J. Mechanical control of tissue shape: Cell-extrinsic and -intrinsic mechanisms join forces to regulate morphogenesis. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2022; 130:45-55. [PMID: 35367121 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.03.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2021] [Revised: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
During vertebrate development, cells must proliferate, move, and differentiate to form complex shapes. Elucidating the mechanisms underlying the molecular and cellular processes involved in tissue morphogenesis is essential to understanding developmental programmes. Mechanical stimuli act as a major contributor of morphogenetic processes and impact on cell behaviours to regulate tissue shape and size. Specifically, cell extrinsic physical forces are translated into biochemical signals within cells, through the process of mechanotransduction, activating multiple mechanosensitive pathways and defining cell behaviours. Physical forces generated by tissue mechanics and the extracellular matrix are crucial to orchestrate tissue patterning and cell fate specification. At the cell scale, the actomyosin network generates the cellular tension behind the tissue mechanics involved in building tissue. Thus, understanding the role of physical forces during morphogenetic processes requires the consideration of the contribution of cell intrinsic and cell extrinsic influences. The recent development of multidisciplinary approaches, as well as major advances in genetics, microscopy, and force-probing tools, have been key to push this field forward. With this review, we aim to discuss recent work on how tissue shape can be controlled by mechanical forces by focusing specifically on vertebrate organogenesis. We consider the influences of mechanical forces by discussing the cell-intrinsic forces (such as cell tension and proliferation) and cell-extrinsic forces (such as substrate stiffness and flow forces). We review recently described processes supporting the role of intratissue force generation and propagation in the context of shape emergence. Lastly, we discuss the emerging role of tissue-scale changes in tissue material properties, extrinsic forces, and shear stress on shape establishment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hélène Vignes
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire (IGBMC), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR7104, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1258 and Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch, France
| | | | - Julien Vermot
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire (IGBMC), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR7104, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1258 and Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch, France; Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
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29
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Regev I, Guevorkian K, Gupta A, Pourquié O, Mahadevan L. Rectified random cell motility as a mechanism for embryo elongation. Development 2022; 149:274852. [PMID: 35344041 PMCID: PMC9017234 DOI: 10.1242/dev.199423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT
The body of vertebrate embryos forms by posterior elongation from a terminal growth zone called the tail bud. The tail bud is a source of highly motile cells that eventually constitute the presomitic mesoderm (PSM), a tissue that plays an important role in elongation movements. PSM cells establish an anterior-posterior cell motility gradient that parallels a gradient associated with the degradation of a specific cellular signal (FGF) known to be implicated in cell motility. Here, we combine the electroporation of fluorescent reporters in the PSM with time-lapse imaging in the chicken embryo to quantify cell diffusive movements along the motility gradient. We show that a simple microscopic model for random cell motility induced by FGF activity along with geometric confinement leads to rectified tissue elongation consistent with our observations. A continuum analog of the microscopic model leads to a macroscopic mechano-chemical model for tissue extension that couples FGF activity-induced cell motility and tissue rheology, and is consistent with the experimentally observed speed and extent of elongation. Together, our experimental observations and theoretical models explain how the continuous addition of cells at the tail bud combined with lateral confinement can be converted into oriented movement and drive body elongation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ido Regev
- Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- Department of Solar Energy and Environmental Physics, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus 84990, Israel
| | - Karine Guevorkian
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Inserm, Illkirch, France
- Harvard Medical School, Department of Genetics, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Department of Pathology, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Institut Curie, Université PSL, Sorbonne Université, CNRS UMR168, Laboratoire Physico-Chimie Curie, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Anupam Gupta
- Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, Telangana 502285, India
| | - Olivier Pourquié
- Harvard Medical School, Department of Genetics, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Department of Pathology, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - L. Mahadevan
- Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- Department of Physics and Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
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30
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Vignes H, Vagena-Pantoula C, Prakash M, Fukui H, Norden C, Mochizuki N, Jug F, Vermot J. Extracellular mechanical forces drive endocardial cell volume decrease during zebrafish cardiac valve morphogenesis. Dev Cell 2022; 57:598-609.e5. [PMID: 35245444 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2022.02.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2021] [Revised: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Organ morphogenesis involves dynamic changes of tissue properties while cells adapt to their mechanical environment through mechanosensitive pathways. How mechanical cues influence cell behaviors during morphogenesis remains unclear. Here, we studied the formation of the zebrafish atrioventricular canal (AVC) where cardiac valves develop. We show that the AVC forms within a zone of tissue convergence associated with the increased activation of the actomyosin meshwork and cell-orientation changes. We demonstrate that tissue convergence occurs with a reduction of cell volume triggered by mechanical forces and the mechanosensitive channel TRPP2/TRPV4. Finally, we show that the extracellular matrix component hyaluronic acid controls cell volume changes. Together, our data suggest that multiple force-sensitive signaling pathways converge to modulate cell volume. We conclude that cell volume reduction is a key cellular feature activated by mechanotransduction during cardiovascular morphogenesis. This work further identifies how mechanical forces and extracellular matrix influence tissue remodeling in developing organs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hélène Vignes
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire (IGBMC), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR7104, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1258 and Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, Illkirch, France
| | | | - Mangal Prakash
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany; Center for Systems Biology Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Hajime Fukui
- Department of Cell Biology, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center Research Institute, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Caren Norden
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany; Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Naoki Mochizuki
- Department of Cell Biology, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center Research Institute, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Florian Jug
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany; Center for Systems Biology Dresden, Dresden, Germany; Fondazione Human Technopole, Milan, Italy
| | - Julien Vermot
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire (IGBMC), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR7104, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1258 and Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, Illkirch, France; Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, UK.
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31
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Monnot P, Gangatharan G, Baraban M, Pottin K, Cabrera M, Bonnet I, Breau MA. Intertissue mechanical interactions shape the olfactory circuit in zebrafish. EMBO Rep 2022; 23:e52963. [PMID: 34889034 PMCID: PMC8811657 DOI: 10.15252/embr.202152963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2021] [Revised: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/18/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
While the chemical signals guiding neuronal migration and axon elongation have been extensively studied, the influence of mechanical cues on these processes remains poorly studied in vivo. Here, we investigate how mechanical forces exerted by surrounding tissues steer neuronal movements and axon extension during the morphogenesis of the olfactory placode in zebrafish. We mainly focus on the mechanical contribution of the adjacent eye tissue, which develops underneath the placode through extensive evagination and invagination movements. Using quantitative analysis of cell movements and biomechanical manipulations, we show that the developing eye exerts lateral traction forces on the olfactory placode through extracellular matrix, mediating proper morphogenetic movements and axon extension within the placode. Our data shed new light on the key participation of intertissue mechanical interactions in the sculpting of neuronal circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pauline Monnot
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)Institut de Biologie Paris‐Seine (IBPS)Developmental Biology LaboratorySorbonne UniversitéParisFrance
- Institut CurieUniversité PSLSorbonne UniversitéCNRS UMR168Laboratoire Physico Chimie CurieParisFrance
- Laboratoire Jean PerrinParisFrance
| | - Girisaran Gangatharan
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)Institut de Biologie Paris‐Seine (IBPS)Developmental Biology LaboratorySorbonne UniversitéParisFrance
| | - Marion Baraban
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)Institut de Biologie Paris‐Seine (IBPS)Developmental Biology LaboratorySorbonne UniversitéParisFrance
- Laboratoire Jean PerrinParisFrance
| | - Karen Pottin
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)Institut de Biologie Paris‐Seine (IBPS)Developmental Biology LaboratorySorbonne UniversitéParisFrance
| | - Melody Cabrera
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)Institut de Biologie Paris‐Seine (IBPS)Developmental Biology LaboratorySorbonne UniversitéParisFrance
| | - Isabelle Bonnet
- Institut CurieUniversité PSLSorbonne UniversitéCNRS UMR168Laboratoire Physico Chimie CurieParisFrance
| | - Marie Anne Breau
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)Institut de Biologie Paris‐Seine (IBPS)Developmental Biology LaboratorySorbonne UniversitéParisFrance
- Laboratoire Jean PerrinParisFrance
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)ParisFrance
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32
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Sutlive J, Xiu H, Chen Y, Gou K, Xiong F, Guo M, Chen Z. Generation, Transmission, and Regulation of Mechanical Forces in Embryonic Morphogenesis. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2022; 18:e2103466. [PMID: 34837328 PMCID: PMC8831476 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202103466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2021] [Revised: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Embryonic morphogenesis is a biological process which depicts shape forming of tissues and organs during development. Unveiling the roles of mechanical forces generated, transmitted, and regulated in cells and tissues through these processes is key to understanding the biophysical mechanisms governing morphogenesis. To this end, it is imperative to measure, simulate, and predict the regulation and control of these mechanical forces during morphogenesis. This article aims to provide a comprehensive review of the recent advances on mechanical properties of cells and tissues, generation of mechanical forces in cells and tissues, the transmission processes of these generated forces during cells and tissues, the tools and methods used to measure and predict these mechanical forces in vivo, in vitro, or in silico, and to better understand the corresponding regulation and control of generated forces. Understanding the biomechanics and mechanobiology of morphogenesis will not only shed light on the fundamental physical mechanisms underlying these concerted biological processes during normal development, but also uncover new information that will benefit biomedical research in preventing and treating congenital defects or tissue engineering and regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Sutlive
- Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Haning Xiu
- Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Yunfeng Chen
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037
| | - Kun Gou
- Department of Mathematical, Physical, and Engineering Sciences, Texas A&M University-San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78224
| | - Fengzhu Xiong
- Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Ming Guo
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Zi Chen
- Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
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33
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Veenvliet JV, Lenne PF, Turner DA, Nachman I, Trivedi V. Sculpting with stem cells: how models of embryo development take shape. Development 2021; 148:dev192914. [PMID: 34908102 PMCID: PMC8722391 DOI: 10.1242/dev.192914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
During embryogenesis, organisms acquire their shape given boundary conditions that impose geometrical, mechanical and biochemical constraints. A detailed integrative understanding how these morphogenetic information modules pattern and shape the mammalian embryo is still lacking, mostly owing to the inaccessibility of the embryo in vivo for direct observation and manipulation. These impediments are circumvented by the developmental engineering of embryo-like structures (stembryos) from pluripotent stem cells that are easy to access, track, manipulate and scale. Here, we explain how unlocking distinct levels of embryo-like architecture through controlled modulations of the cellular environment enables the identification of minimal sets of mechanical and biochemical inputs necessary to pattern and shape the mammalian embryo. We detail how this can be complemented with precise measurements and manipulations of tissue biochemistry, mechanics and geometry across spatial and temporal scales to provide insights into the mechanochemical feedback loops governing embryo morphogenesis. Finally, we discuss how, even in the absence of active manipulations, stembryos display intrinsic phenotypic variability that can be leveraged to define the constraints that ensure reproducible morphogenesis in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesse V. Veenvliet
- Stembryogenesis Lab, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Pfotenhauerstrasse 108, 01307 Dresden, Germany
- Department of Developmental Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Ihnestrasse 63-73, 14195 Berlin, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence Physics of Life, Technische Universität Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Pierre-François Lenne
- Aix Marseille University, CNRS, IBDM, Turing Center for Living Systems, 13288, Marseille, France
| | - David A. Turner
- Institute of Life Course and Medical Sciences, William Henry Duncan Building, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L7 8TX, UK
| | - Iftach Nachman
- School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry and Biophysics, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Vikas Trivedi
- European Molecular Biology Laboratories (EMBL), Barcelona, 08003, Spain
- EMBL Heidelberg, Developmental Biology Unit, 69117, Heidelberg, Germany
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34
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Thomson L, Muresan L, Steventon B. The zebrafish presomitic mesoderm elongates through compaction-extension. Cells Dev 2021. [PMID: 34597846 DOI: 10.1101/2021.03.11.434927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
In vertebrate embryos the presomitic mesoderm becomes progressively segmented into somites at the anterior end while extending along the anterior-posterior axis. A commonly adopted model to explain how this tissue elongates is that of posterior growth, driven in part by the addition of new cells from uncommitted progenitor populations in the tailbud. However, in zebrafish, much of somitogenesis is associated with an absence of overall volume increase, and posterior progenitors do not contribute new cells until the final stages of somitogenesis. Here, we perform a comprehensive 3D morphometric analysis of the paraxial mesoderm and reveal that extension is linked to a volumetric decrease and an increase in cell density. We also find that individual cells decrease in volume over successive somite stages. Live cell tracking confirms that much of this tissue deformation occurs within the presomitic mesoderm progenitor zone and is associated with non-directional rearrangement. Taken together, we propose a compaction-extension mechanism of tissue elongation that highlights the need to better understand the role tissue intrinsic and extrinsic forces in regulating morphogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lewis Thomson
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EH, UK
| | - Leila Muresan
- Cambridge Advanced Imaging Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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35
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Nychyk O, Galea GL, Molè M, Savery D, Greene NDE, Stanier P, Copp AJ. Vangl2-environment interaction causes severe neural tube defects, without abnormal neuroepithelial convergent extension. Dis Model Mech 2021; 15:273565. [PMID: 34842271 PMCID: PMC8807581 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.049194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Planar cell polarity (PCP) signalling is vital for initiation of mouse neurulation, with diminished convergent extension (CE) cell movements leading to craniorachischisis, a severe neural tube defect (NTD). Some humans with NTDs also have PCP gene mutations but these are heterozygous, not homozygous as in mice. Other genetic or environmental factors may interact with partial loss of PCP function in human NTDs. We found that reduced sulfation of glycosaminoglycans interacts with heterozygosity for the Lp allele of Vangl2 (a core PCP gene), to cause craniorachischisis in cultured mouse embryos, with rescue by exogenous sulphate. We hypothesised this glycosaminoglycan-PCP interaction may regulate CE but, surprisingly, DiO labeling of the embryonic node demonstrates no abnormality of midline axial extension in sulfation-depleted Lp/+ embryos. Positive-control Lp/Lp embryos show severe CE defects. Abnormalities were detected in the size and shape of somites that flank the closing neural tube in sulfation-depleted Lp/+ embryos. We conclude that failure of closure initiation can arise by a mechanism other than faulty neuroepithelial CE, with possible involvement of matrix-mediated somite expansion, adjacent to the closing neural tube.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oleksandr Nychyk
- Developmental Biology & Cancer Research Department, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK
| | - Gabriel L Galea
- Developmental Biology & Cancer Research Department, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK
| | - Matteo Molè
- Developmental Biology & Cancer Research Department, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK
| | - Dawn Savery
- Developmental Biology & Cancer Research Department, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK
| | - Nicholas D E Greene
- Developmental Biology & Cancer Research Department, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK
| | - Philip Stanier
- Genetics & Genomic Medicine Research Department, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK
| | - Andrew J Copp
- Developmental Biology & Cancer Research Department, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK
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36
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Linde-Medina M, Smit TH. Molecular and Mechanical Cues for Somite Periodicity. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:753446. [PMID: 34901002 PMCID: PMC8663771 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.753446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Somitogenesis refers to the segmentation of the paraxial mesoderm, a tissue located on the back of the embryo, into regularly spaced and sized pieces, i.e., the somites. This periodicity is important to assure, for example, the formation of a functional vertebral column. Prevailing models of somitogenesis are based on the existence of a gene regulatory network capable of generating a striped pattern of gene expression, which is subsequently translated into periodic tissue boundaries. An alternative view is that the pre-pattern that guides somitogenesis is not chemical, but of a mechanical origin. A striped pattern of mechanical strain can be formed in physically connected tissues expanding at different rates, as it occurs in the embryo. Here we argue that both molecular and mechanical cues could drive somite periodicity and suggest how they could be integrated.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Theodoor H. Smit
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Amsterdam Movement Sciences, Amsterdam University Medical Centres, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Department of Medical Biology, Amsterdam University Medical Centres, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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37
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Weldon SA, Münsterberg AE. Somite development and regionalisation of the vertebral axial skeleton. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2021; 127:10-16. [PMID: 34690064 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2021.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Revised: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 10/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
A critical stage in the development of all vertebrate embryos is the generation of the body plan and its subsequent patterning and regionalisation along the main anterior-posterior axis. This includes the formation of the vertebral axial skeleton. Its organisation begins during early embryonic development with the periodic formation of paired blocks of mesoderm tissue called somites. Here, we review axial patterning of somites, with a focus on studies using amniote model systems - avian and mouse. We summarise the molecular and cellular mechanisms that generate paraxial mesoderm and review how the different anatomical regions of the vertebral column acquire their specific identity and thus shape the body plan. We also discuss the generation of organoids and embryo-like structures from embryonic stem cells, which provide insights regarding axis formation and promise to be useful for disease modelling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannon A Weldon
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
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38
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Romanos M, Allio G, Roussigné M, Combres L, Escalas N, Soula C, Médevielle F, Steventon B, Trescases A, Bénazéraf B. Cell-to-cell heterogeneity in Sox2 and Bra expression guides progenitor motility and destiny. eLife 2021; 10:e66588. [PMID: 34607629 PMCID: PMC8492064 DOI: 10.7554/elife.66588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Although cell-to-cell heterogeneity in gene and protein expression within cell populations has been widely documented, we know little about its biological functions. By studying progenitors of the posterior region of bird embryos, we found that expression levels of transcription factors Sox2 and Bra, respectively involved in neural tube (NT) and mesoderm specification, display a high degree of cell-to-cell heterogeneity. By combining forced expression and downregulation approaches with time-lapse imaging, we demonstrate that Sox2-to-Bra ratio guides progenitor's motility and their ability to stay in or exit the progenitor zone to integrate neural or mesodermal tissues. Indeed, high Bra levels confer high motility that pushes cells to join the paraxial mesoderm, while high levels of Sox2 tend to inhibit cell movement forcing cells to integrate the NT. Mathematical modeling captures the importance of cell motility regulation in this process and further suggests that randomness in Sox2/Bra cell-to-cell distribution favors cell rearrangements and tissue shape conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michèle Romanos
- Molecular, Cellular and Developmental biology department (MCD), Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPSToulouseFrance
- Institut de Mathématiques de Toulouse UMR 5219, Université de ToulouseToulouseFrance
| | - Guillaume Allio
- Molecular, Cellular and Developmental biology department (MCD), Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPSToulouseFrance
| | - Myriam Roussigné
- Molecular, Cellular and Developmental biology department (MCD), Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPSToulouseFrance
| | - Léa Combres
- Molecular, Cellular and Developmental biology department (MCD), Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPSToulouseFrance
| | - Nathalie Escalas
- Molecular, Cellular and Developmental biology department (MCD), Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPSToulouseFrance
| | - Cathy Soula
- Molecular, Cellular and Developmental biology department (MCD), Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPSToulouseFrance
| | - François Médevielle
- Molecular, Cellular and Developmental biology department (MCD), Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPSToulouseFrance
| | | | - Ariane Trescases
- Institut de Mathématiques de Toulouse UMR 5219, Université de ToulouseToulouseFrance
| | - Bertrand Bénazéraf
- Molecular, Cellular and Developmental biology department (MCD), Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPSToulouseFrance
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39
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The zebrafish presomitic mesoderm elongates through compaction-extension. Cells Dev 2021; 168:203748. [PMID: 34597846 PMCID: PMC7612712 DOI: 10.1016/j.cdev.2021.203748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Revised: 09/21/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
In vertebrate embryos the presomitic mesoderm becomes progressively segmented into somites at the anterior end while extending along the anterior-posterior axis. A commonly adopted model to explain how this tissue elongates is that of posterior growth, driven in part by the addition of new cells from uncommitted progenitor populations in the tailbud. However, in zebrafish, much of somitogenesis is associated with an absence of overall volume increase, and posterior progenitors do not contribute new cells until the final stages of somitogenesis. Here, we perform a comprehensive 3D morphometric analysis of the paraxial mesoderm and reveal that extension is linked to a volumetric decrease and an increase in cell density. We also find that individual cells decrease in volume over successive somite stages. Live cell tracking confirms that much of this tissue deformation occurs within the presomitic mesoderm progenitor zone and is associated with non-directional rearrangement. Taken together, we propose a compaction-extension mechanism of tissue elongation that highlights the need to better understand the role tissue intrinsic and extrinsic forces in regulating morphogenesis.
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40
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Mechanics of neural tube morphogenesis. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2021; 130:56-69. [PMID: 34561169 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2021.09.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2021] [Revised: 09/07/2021] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The neural tube is an important model system of morphogenesis representing the developmental module of out-of-plane epithelial deformation. As the embryonic precursor of the central nervous system, the neural tube also holds keys to many defects and diseases. Recent advances begin to reveal how genetic, cellular and environmental mechanisms work in concert to ensure correct neural tube shape. A physical model is emerging where these factors converge at the regulation of the mechanical forces and properties within and around the tissue that drive tube formation towards completion. Here we review the dynamics and mechanics of neural tube morphogenesis and discuss the underlying cellular behaviours from the viewpoint of tissue mechanics. We will also highlight some of the conceptual and technical next steps.
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Andrews TGR, Pönisch W, Paluch EK, Steventon BJ, Benito-Gutierrez E. Single-cell morphometrics reveals ancestral principles of notochord development. Development 2021; 148:271170. [PMID: 34343262 PMCID: PMC8406538 DOI: 10.1242/dev.199430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Embryonic tissues are shaped by the dynamic behaviours of their constituent cells. To understand such cell behaviours and how they evolved, new approaches are needed to map out morphogenesis across different organisms. Here, we apply a quantitative approach to learn how the notochord forms during the development of amphioxus: a basally branching chordate. Using a single-cell morphometrics pipeline, we quantify the geometries of thousands of amphioxus notochord cells, and project them into a common mathematical space, termed morphospace. In morphospace, notochord cells disperse into branching trajectories of cell shape change, revealing a dynamic interplay between cell shape change and growth that collectively contributes to tissue elongation. By spatially mapping these trajectories, we identify conspicuous regional variation, both in developmental timing and trajectory topology. Finally, we show experimentally that, unlike ascidians but like vertebrates, posterior cell division is required in amphioxus to generate full notochord length, thereby suggesting this might be an ancestral chordate trait that is secondarily lost in ascidians. Altogether, our novel approach reveals that an unexpectedly complex scheme of notochord morphogenesis might have been present in the first chordates. This article has an associated ‘The people behind the papers’ interview. Summary: Single-cell morphometrics reveals that notochord development in amphioxus, a basally branching chordate, is driven by a complex set of cellular behaviours characterised by specific trajectories of cell shape change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toby G R Andrews
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Wolfram Pönisch
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EL, UK
| | - Ewa K Paluch
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EL, UK
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Narayanan R, Mendieta-Serrano MA, Saunders TE. The role of cellular active stresses in shaping the zebrafish body axis. Curr Opin Cell Biol 2021; 73:69-77. [PMID: 34303916 DOI: 10.1016/j.ceb.2021.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2021] [Revised: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 06/11/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Tissue remodelling and organ shaping during morphogenesis are products of mechanical forces generated at the cellular level. These cell-scale forces can be coordinated across the tissue via information provided by biochemical and mechanical cues. Such coordination leads to the generation of complex tissue shape during morphogenesis. In this short review, we elaborate the role of cellular active stresses in vertebrate axis morphogenesis, primarily using examples from postgastrulation development of the zebrafish embryo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachna Narayanan
- Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | | | - Timothy E Saunders
- Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A∗Star, Singapore; Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom.
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McLaren SBP, Steventon BJ. Anterior expansion and posterior addition to the notochord mechanically coordinate zebrafish embryo axis elongation. Development 2021; 148:269016. [PMID: 34086031 PMCID: PMC8327291 DOI: 10.1242/dev.199459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 05/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
How force generated by the morphogenesis of one tissue impacts the morphogenesis of other tissues to achieve an elongated embryo axis is not well understood. The notochord runs along the length of the somitic compartment and is flanked on either side by somites. Vacuolating notochord cells undergo a constrained expansion, increasing notochord internal pressure and driving its elongation and stiffening. Therefore, the notochord is appropriately positioned to play a role in mechanically elongating the somitic compartment. We used multi-photon cell ablation to remove specific regions of the zebrafish notochord and quantify the impact on axis elongation. We show that anterior expansion generates a force that displaces notochord cells posteriorly relative to adjacent axial tissues, contributing to the elongation of segmented tissue during post-tailbud stages. Unexpanded cells derived from progenitors at the posterior end of the notochord provide resistance to anterior notochord cell expansion, allowing for stress generation along the anterior-posterior axis. Therefore, notochord cell expansion beginning in the anterior, and addition of cells to the posterior notochord, act as temporally coordinated morphogenetic events that shape the zebrafish embryo anterior-posterior axis. Summary: Targeted multi-photon tissue ablation reveals that coordinated cell expansion and addition to the notochord in zebrafish embryos contributes to the elongation of segmented tissue required for embryo anterior-posterior axis extension.
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Anteroposterior elongation of the chicken anterior trunk neural tube is hindered by interaction with its surrounding tissues. Cells Dev 2021; 168:203723. [PMID: 34284169 DOI: 10.1016/j.cdev.2021.203723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Revised: 06/16/2021] [Accepted: 07/13/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The neural tube is the precursor of the central nervous system. Its early formation and growth are known to be extremely biased along the anteroposterior (AP) axis. Several mechanisms including addition of cells from the tail bud, lateral pressure from surrounding tissues and oriented cell divisions have been proposed to contribute to this biased growth. Here we show that, contrary to what has been found in posterior regions encompassing the tail bud region, the growth of the anterior trunk neural tube is slower along the AP direction than in the other axes. We found that this is due to anchorage of the neural tube to the matrix which favors apicobasal elongation at the expense of AP growth. In addition, as the neural tube develops, we found a moderate slowdown of cell proliferation that could account for the overall reduction of the pace of 3D growth in the same time window. However, as we found no preferred orientation of cell division, changes in cell cycle pace are unlikely to directly contribute to the observed AP-hindered growth of neural tube. Overall, these data indicate that neural tube growth is not intrinsically positively biased along the AP axis. Rather it switches from AP-favored to AP-hindered regimes between the most posterior and anterior trunk neural tube regions.
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Gorfinkiel N, Martinez Arias A. The cell in the age of the genomic revolution: Cell Regulatory Networks. Cells Dev 2021; 168:203720. [PMID: 34252599 DOI: 10.1016/j.cdev.2021.203720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2021] [Revised: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Over the last few years an intense activity in the areas of advanced microscopy and quantitative cell biology has put the focus on the morphogenetic events that shape embryos. The interest in these processes is taking place against the backdrop of genomic studies, particularly of global patterns of gene expression at the level of single cells, which cannot fully account for the way cells build tissues and organs. Here we discuss the need to integrate the activity of genes with that of cells and propose the need to develop a framework, based on cellular processes and cell interactions, that parallels that which has been created for gene activity in the form of Gene Regulatory Networks (GRNs). We begin to do this by suggesting elements for building Cell Regulatory Networks (CRNs). In the same manner that GRNs create schedules of gene expression that result in the emergence of cell fates over time, CRNs create tissues and organs i.e. space. We also suggest how GRNs and CRNs might interact in the building of embryos through feedback loops involving mechanics and tissue tectonics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Gorfinkiel
- Departamento de Genética, Fisiología y Microbiología, Facultad de CC Biológicas, Universidad Complutense, José Antonio Nováis 12, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Alfonso Martinez Arias
- Systems Bioengineering, DCEXS, Universidad Pompeu Fabra, ICREA (Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats), Doctor Aiguader 88, Pg. Lluís Companys 23, Barcelona, Spain.
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Inman A, Smutny M. Feeling the force: Multiscale force sensing and transduction at the cell-cell interface. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2021; 120:53-65. [PMID: 34238674 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2021.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2021] [Revised: 06/11/2021] [Accepted: 06/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
A universal principle of all living cells is the ability to sense and respond to mechanical stimuli which is essential for many biological processes. Recent efforts have identified critical mechanosensitive molecules and response pathways involved in mechanotransduction during development and tissue homeostasis. Tissue-wide force transmission and local force sensing need to be spatiotemporally coordinated to precisely regulate essential processes during development such as tissue morphogenesis, patterning, cell migration and organogenesis. Understanding how cells identify and interpret extrinsic forces and integrate a specific response on cell and tissue level remains a major challenge. In this review we consider important cellular and physical factors in control of cell-cell mechanotransduction and discuss their significance for cell and developmental processes. We further highlight mechanosensitive macromolecules that are known to respond to external forces and present examples of how force responses can be integrated into cell and developmental programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angus Inman
- Centre for Mechanochemical Cell Biology and Division of Biomedical Sciences, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry CV47AL, UK
| | - Michael Smutny
- Centre for Mechanochemical Cell Biology and Division of Biomedical Sciences, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry CV47AL, UK.
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Wang JX, White MD. Mechanical forces in avian embryo development. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2021; 120:133-146. [PMID: 34147339 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2021.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Revised: 05/27/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Research using avian embryos has led to major conceptual advances in developmental biology, virology, immunology, genetics and cell biology. The avian embryo has several significant advantages, including ready availability and ease of accessibility, rapid development with marked similarities to mammals and a high amenability to manipulation. As mechanical forces are increasingly recognised as key drivers of morphogenesis, this powerful model system is shedding new light on the mechanobiology of embryonic development. Here, we highlight progress in understanding how mechanical forces direct key morphogenetic processes in the early avian embryo. Recent advances in quantitative live imaging and modelling are elaborating upon traditional work using physical models and embryo manipulations to reveal cell dynamics and tissue forces in ever greater detail. The recent application of transgenic technologies further increases the strength of the avian model and is providing important insights about previously intractable developmental processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Xiong Wang
- The University of Queensland, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Melanie D White
- The University of Queensland, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.
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Kuzmicz-Kowalska K, Kicheva A. Regulation of size and scale in vertebrate spinal cord development. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY 2020; 10:e383. [PMID: 32391980 PMCID: PMC8244110 DOI: 10.1002/wdev.383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2019] [Revised: 03/25/2020] [Accepted: 04/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
All vertebrates have a spinal cord with dimensions and shape specific to their species. Yet how species‐specific organ size and shape are achieved is a fundamental unresolved question in biology. The formation and sculpting of organs begins during embryonic development. As it develops, the spinal cord extends in anterior–posterior direction in synchrony with the overall growth of the body. The dorsoventral (DV) and apicobasal lengths of the spinal cord neuroepithelium also change, while at the same time a characteristic pattern of neural progenitor subtypes along the DV axis is established and elaborated. At the basis of these changes in tissue size and shape are biophysical determinants, such as the change in cell number, cell size and shape, and anisotropic tissue growth. These processes are controlled by global tissue‐scale regulators, such as morphogen signaling gradients as well as mechanical forces. Current challenges in the field are to uncover how these tissue‐scale regulatory mechanisms are translated to the cellular and molecular level, and how regulation of distinct cellular processes gives rise to an overall defined size. Addressing these questions will help not only to achieve a better understanding of how size is controlled, but also of how tissue size is coordinated with the specification of pattern. This article is categorized under:Establishment of Spatial and Temporal Patterns > Regulation of Size, Proportion, and Timing Signaling Pathways > Global Signaling Mechanisms Nervous System Development > Vertebrates: General Principles
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