SKM 2023 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 28: Poster Session II

BP 28.7: Poster

Thursday, March 30, 2023, 18:00–20:00, P2/EG

Monitoring actomyosin flows in early Caenorhabditis elegans embryos by lightsheet microscopy — •Ivana Jeremic and Matthias Weiss — University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany

Symmetry breaking, i.e. the formation of body axes, is crucial for embryonic development as it guides the formation of highly organized tissues and consequently assures proper maturation of the organism. A convenient model system for studying such events is Caenorhabditis elegans since all body axes are fully defined already in the 8-cell stage of the embryo. Confocal fluorescence imaging on C. elegans has revealed that chiral mechanical forces, generated by the actomyosin cortex, play an important role in the left-right symmetry breaking. Confocal imaging, however, requires a gentle flattening of the embryo to allow for a full three-dimensional assessment of the embryo. Yet, even a gentle squeezing of the embryo can already delay cell divisions and subsequently lead to altered cell positions, suggesting that also the symmetry-breaking action of the actomyosin cortex can be affected. Using a custom-made lightsheet microscope that does not require any squeezing of the embryo, we have monitored actomyosin flows in the early embryo in three dimensions over time. Preliminary data from these experiments suggest that the previously observed chiral forces are even enhanced under these unconfined conditions.