Regensburg 2025 – scientific programme
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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 18: Tissue Mechanics
BP 18.7: Talk
Wednesday, March 19, 2025, 11:30–11:45, H44
Statistical Inference and Selection of a Mechanistic Model during Tissue Specification in Beetle Embryogenesis — •Zoë Lange1,2, Franziska Krämer3, Frederic Strobl3, Ernst H.K. Stelzer3, and Franziska Matthäus1,4 — 1Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies — 2Fachbereich Physik, Universität Frankfurt am Main — 3Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences — 4Fachbereich Informatik und Mathematik, Universität Frankfurt am Main
During development of the beetle Tribolium castaneum, the blastoderm differentiates into embryo and extra-embryonic serosa tissues with distinct morphologies. Using statistical inference, we estimate effective cell tensions and pressures based on cell geometry and a force-balance assumption. Our analysis reveals an inverse relationship between tension and cell shape with characteristic slopes for serosa and embryo tissues. We identify and parametrize a mechanistic vertex model that captures the differing properties of serosa and embryo cells. This study demonstrates how statistical inference can guide the selection and refinement of mechanistic models to understand tissue dynamics during embryogenesis.
Keywords: statistical inference; vertex model; Tribolium castaneum; morphogenesis; model selection