What is dorsal closure? The shaping of the embryo during development is driven by large-scale movements of epithelial cell sheets as they bend, spread, and fuse with each other. One such major, well-defined morphogenetic event is dorsal closure, which occurs during the early stages [...]

How is dorsal closure controlled by mechanics? A number of studies, which describe the cellular mechanisms and signaling pathways underlying dorsal closure, have pointed towards a mechanical basis for the morphogenetic changes associated with this process. It is now evident that a coordinated interplay [...]

What are epithelial tubes? Tubulogenesis, or the formation of tubes, is one of the fundamental morphogenetic events taking place during development. Several major organs, such as the respiratory, circulatory, and secretory systems, are constituted by an interconnected network of tubes. Within the body, tubes [...]

How is tubulogenesis regulated by mechanics? The basic steps during tube formation, including cell polarization, the formation of small multiple lumens and the coalescence of multiple lumens into a single lumen, and subsequent tube elongation, are directly regulated by mechanical signals arising from neighbouring [...]

What is cell migration? Cell migration is the directed movement of a single cell or a group of cells in response to chemical and/or mechanical signals. It is a fundamental cellular process that occurs throughout life, starting during embryonic development and continuing until death, [...]

How are lipids and protein complexes segregated during cell polarization? In polarized epithelial cells, the apical membrane is rich in PIP2 and houses the PAR and Crumbs polarity complexes while the basal membrane contains PIP3 and the Scribble polarity complex [1][2]. The phosphatase PTEN, [...]

How is the cytoskeleton polarized? As well as the asymmetric organization of cellular components, polarity can also be defined through the structural orientation of the cytoskeleton, in particular, actin filaments and microtubules. This is important in cell migration and motility, which requires a front-rear [...]

What is the epithelial to mesenchymal transition? Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) is the process whereby epithelial cells are transformed into mesenchymal cells. Epithelial cells form the epithelium tissue which covers the internal and external body surface of an organism. These cells are polarized [...]

What is the mesenchymal-epithelial transition? During development, the transitioning of epithelial cells to a mesenchymal lineage is not an irreversible process. Instead, a number of developmental programs are accompanied by a reversal of EMT, during which the mesenchyme gets dedifferentiated into the epithelial lineage [...]

What is hematopoiesis? The hematopoietic system, which comprises all the cellular components of the blood, is one of the earliest organ systems to evolve during embryo development. Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), which are rare blood cells residing in the bone marrow of the adult [...]

How is hematopoiesis regulated by mechanics? Once blood circulation is established during the earliest stages of hematopoiesis, the pulsatile nature of blood flow within the aorta generates a range of biomechanical forces, such as fluid shear stress, hydrodynamic pressure, and circumferential stress. A number [...]

What is the cellular origin of hematopoietic stem cells? Based on findings from a large number of anatomical, biochemical, and genetic studies carried out over the years, three major theories have been put forth to describe the cellular origin of hematopoietic stem cells. Although [...]