Regensburg 2025 – scientific programme
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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 18: Tissue Mechanics
BP 18.10: Talk
Wednesday, March 19, 2025, 12:15–12:30, H44
What mouse embryos can teach us about tissue spreading — •María-José Franco-Oñate1, Ricard Alert1, and Kate Cavanaugh2 — 1MPI for the Physics of Complex Systems, Dresden, Germany — 2University of San Francisco in California, United States
Processes such as embryogenesis, tissue repair and cancer metastasis are dependent upon the migration of large groups of cells through changes in group morphogenesis or collective migration. These processes entail both molecular and mechanical interactions between cells and their surrounding environment. Several attempts have been made to create models of these interactions [1].
In this study, we focus our attention on mouse embryos during implantation. In this process, the embryo adheres to the substrate and extends along it. The results of ongoing experiments indicate that embryos derived from older mice are unable to implant, resulting in a lack of spreading of the tissue that adheres to the substrate. The objective of this study is to gain insight into the mechanisms underlying the spreading process and its dependence on the age of the embryo. To this end, we employ a coarse-grained approach, in which the tissue is conceptualised as an active polar fluid, to investigate the dynamics of a spreading tissue [2]. To validate our theoretical model, we utilise traction force microscopy, which enables us to quantify the forces exerted by the tissue.
[1] R. Alert and X. Trepat. Ann. Rev. 11: 77-LF1 (2020)
[2] C. Pérez-González, R. Alert, et al. Nat. Phys. 15: 79-88 (2019)
Keywords: active polar fluid; spreading dynamics; embryo; traction force miscrocopy