SKM 2023 – wissenschaftliches Programm

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 28: Poster Session II

BP 28.4: Poster

Donnerstag, 30. März 2023, 18:00–20:00, P2/EG

Redirecting the early embryogenesis of Caenorhabditis elegans by altering mechanical cues — •Vincent Borne and Matthias Weiss — Experimental Physics I, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstr. 30, D-95447 Bayreuth, Germany

During early development, somatic and germline precursor cells of the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans undergo an apparently pre-determined and robust division scheme, suggesting early embryogenesis to run on autopilot. While the role of biochemical signaling in embryogenesis has long been recognized, the influence of mechanical forces for proper cell arrangement has been revealed only recently. Aiming at challenging the robustness of the organismal development mechanically, we have flattened the embryo to induce altered positioning and division timing of cells. Indeed, upon a controlled squeezing between two coverslips, the outer boundary of the embryo remained intact but cytokinesis was seen to be compromised, i.e. normal development came to a full stop. Surprisingly, nuclei still underwent division, resulting in multinucleated cells or even a syncytium-like state with up to 60 nuclei. In this state, we have monitored the growth of nuclei and their division timing. Despite the total failure of cell division, both observables are in line with experimental data and theoretical descriptions obtained from unperturbed embryos. Our results highlight how some key features for correct embryonic development prevail even under mechanically stressful conditions.