Figure 2
From: Mechanical Tension Drives Elongational Growth of the Embryonic Gut
Mechanical configuration of embryonic organs. (a) E8 chick embryo after removing the ventral skin of the body. The heart, lungs, stomach and liver grow compressed one against another and within the limited space of the body cavity (red dashed line). The gut is singular as it protrudes out through the umbilical cord and can expand freely outside of the embryo’s body. (b) Free-body diagram of the embryonic gut, midgut rotation was not represented for visual clarity. Green: tensile forces F1-F4, dashed region: mesentery, red: omphalomesenteric artery, beige: vitelline duct. (c) Geometry of the gut at E6, E7, E9, E10. An opening was performed on the left side of the ventral skin to reveal internal organs. In this figure the gut was pulled slightly to the right with tweezers via the vitelline duct to show it in a close to physiological configuration (Fig. 1a).
