Bereiche | Tage | Auswahl | Suche | Aktualisierungen | Downloads | Hilfe
BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 3: Tissue Mechanics I
BP 3.6: Vortrag
Montag, 9. März 2026, 11:15–11:30, BAR/0205
Mechanical regulation of neuroepithelial development — •Niklas Gampl1,2, Alex Kingston3, Caren Norden4, and Kristian Franze1,2,5 — 1Max-Planck-Zentrum für Physik und Medizin, Erlangen, DE — 2Medical Institute of Biophysics, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, DE — 3Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, UK — 4Gulbenkian Institute for Molecular Medicine, Oeiras, PT — 5Department of PDN, University of Cambridge, UK
During embryonic development, initially flat neuroepithelial tissues remodel themselves into complex 3D structures such as the brain or retina. This process is driven by intrinsically generated forces that depend on the cells’ mechanical environment. However, how accumulated tension in the tissue feeds back on individual cells to influence their fate or migration patterns is not well understood. To address this, we downregulated the cellular force sensor Piezo1 in zebrafish and Xenopus laevis embryos, thereby reducing local mechanosensing capabilities. Piezo1 downregulation led to impaired retinal lamination, deformed retinae and nuclear rounding. Additionally, live imaging of Piezo1-deficient zebrafish eye primordia revealed defects in retinal progenitor migration during optic cup morphogenesis. These finding suggest that Piezo1 activity contributes to coordinating force generation and tissue level tension in the developing neuroepithelium, thus leading to nuclear and tissue shape changes. Combining laser ablation to locally perturb force propagation with direct measurement of tissue tension will clarify how Piezo1-dependent mechanical feedback links nuclear shape, cell fate decisions and tissue morphogenesis.
Keywords: neuroepithelium; tension; piezo1; vertebrates; morphogenesis