Quantitative approaches to uncover physical mechanisms of tissue morphogenesis

Abstract

Morphogenesis, the creation of tissue and organ architecture, is a series of complex and dynamic processes driven by genetic programs, microenvironmental cues, and intercellular interactions. Elucidating the physical mechanisms that generate tissue form is key to understanding development, disease, and the strategies needed for regenerative therapies. Advancements in imaging technologies, genetic recombination techniques, laser ablation, and microfabricated tissue models have enabled quantitative descriptions of the cellular motions and tissue deformations and stresses with unprecedented temporal and spatial resolution. Using these data synergistically with increasingly more sophisticated physical, mathematical, and computational models will unveil the physical mechanisms that drive morphogenesis.

Cellular and physical mechanisms of branching morphogenesis

“…Given these seemingly contradictory data and the inherent complexity of morphogenesis, physical models are necessary to resolve the mechanical contribution of patterned cell proliferation to branching morphogenesis (Gleghorn et al, 2013;Wyczalkowski et al, 2012). In this spirit, Kim and colleagues developed a computational model to determine the physical role of differential growth during monopodial branching in the developing chicken lung (Kim et al, 2013).…”

Fast nastic motion of plants and bioinspired structures

“…It is also worth noting that plant biomechanics and mechanobiology have garnered increasing attention from the scientific community, as they represent "convergent paths to flourishing interdisciplinary research" [16]. In the past decades, the role of mechanical forces, both internal and external, has been considered critical in the shaping of biological shapes, such as in stem cell differentiation [17], embryonic morphogenesis [18][19][20][21], cancer cell migration [22], plant morphogenesis [3,5], and touch-sensitive responses of plants [23]. In this review, nevertheless, our focus is on the mechanically stimulated movement of plants.The mechanical sensing, actuation, and movement in plants have since become sources of inspiration in biomimetic design, which have a wide range of engineering applications, including structural mechanics, biomedical engineering,…”

Fluid Mechanics as a Driver of Tissue-Scale Mechanical Signaling in Organogenesis

“…Cell-matrix connections and cell-cell junctions enable the transmission of force over multi-cell length scales and geometry-dependent spatial patterns of endogenous mechanical stress emerge from the multicellular system [2,15–17]. For example, cardiac looping of the heart tube during early embryogenesis has been shown to be driven by global forces within the heart tube itself [18].…”

“…However, organogenesis is a physical process with cells moving, pulling, and rearranging to enable organ growth and progression to a final architecture. As tools from the physical sciences have advanced and been applied to these biological questions [2], a greater appreciation of the role of mechanical forces in organogenesis has emerged. Several excellent reviews have been written on this topic [3–5]; however, the focus of these reviews and much of the research in general is centered on contributions of solid mechanics to organogenesis, e.g.…”