Mechanical Dynamics of Tissue Morphogenesis

The mechanical dynamics of tissue morphogenesis encompass the interplay between cellular force generation, material properties of cell assemblies and the emergent shapes and movements that give rise to functional organs. During development and regeneration, tissues sculpt themselves through coordinated processes such as apical constriction, cell intercalation and epithelial folding. Contractile proteins within the actomyosin cytoskeleton generate tensions that are transmitted across cell–cell junctions and anchored to extracellular matrices. These forces are modulated by feedback between mechanical stress and biochemical signalling, leading to adaptive reorganisations of cytoskeletal networks. Global tissue deformations, such as convergence–extension movements, arise from localised mechanical feedback loops and cell rearrangements. Advances in quantitative live imaging, biophysical modelling and mechanical perturbation have revealed how local force distributions shape tissues at the organismal scale, with implications for understanding congenital malformations, organ engineering and wound repair.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent work has identified that basal actomyosin networks can display pulsatile expansion properties to drive epithelial cell flattening and directional tissue elongation. Contrary to the conventional view of actomyosin as purely contractile, these studies reveal non-linear network behaviours that integrate Rac1 and Rho1 signalling to stabilise expanded basal surfaces, coordinating epithelial waves with underlying organ growth. Foundations in tissue folding have demonstrated that distinct tension regimes at basal and lateral cell surfaces can independently drive fold formation in imaginal discs. Computational models coupled with precise tension measurements show that a local decrease in basal tension creates one fold, whereas fluctuations in lateral actomyosin generate a neighbouring fold, illustrating how surface-specific force modulation sculpts three-dimensional architectures. Earlier seminal contributions established that geometrical constraints guide meshwork-level actomyosin alignment, orienting force vector fields during ventral furrow formation and providing a physical basis for spatial patterning of contractile stresses.

Mechanical Dynamics of Tissue Morphogenesis publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in mechanical dynamics of tissue morphogenesis across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Actomyosin network: A meshwork of actin filaments and myosin II motors that generates contractile forces within cells and across tissues.

Mechanochemical feedback: A process whereby mechanical stress influences biochemical signalling pathways, which in turn modulate force generation.

Convergence–extension: A morphogenetic movement in which a tissue narrows along one axis while elongating along a perpendicular axis.

T1 transition: A cell rearrangement event in epithelia where four cells exchange neighbours, contributing to tissue elongation.

Apical constriction: The reduction of the apical cell surface area through cytoskeletal contraction, driving tissue invagination or folding.

References

1. Basal actomyosin pulses expand epithelium coordinating cell flattening and tissue elongation. Nature Communications (2024).
2. Mechanochemical Active Feedback Generates Convergence Extension in Epithelial Tissue. Physical Review Letters (2023).
3. Generating active T1 transitions through mechanochemical feedback. eLife (2023).
4. Nuclei as mechanical bumpers during epithelial remodeling. Journal of Cell Biology (2024).
5. Differential lateral and basal tension drive folding of Drosophila wing discs through two distinct mechanisms. Nature Communications (2018).
6. Actomyosin meshwork mechanosensing enables tissue shape to orient cell force. Nature Communications (2017).