Biology subjects

Durel, J. F.

Publications and source records attributed to Durel, J. F..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2024

Material Properties Of The Embryonic Small Intestine During Buckling Morphogenesis

During embryonic development, tissues undergo dramatic deformations as functional morphologies are stereotypically sculpted from simple rudiments. Formation of healthy, functional organs therefore requires tight control over the material properties of embryonic tissues during development, yet the biological basis of embryonic tissue mechanics is poorly understood. The present study investigates the mechanics of the embryonic small intestine, a tissue that is compactly organized in the body cavity by a mechanical instability during development, wherein differential elongation rates between the intestinal tube and its attached mesentery create compressive forces that buckle the tube into loops with wavelength and curvature that are tightly conserved for a given species. Focusing on the intestinal tube, we combined micromechanical testing with histologic analyses and enzymatic degradation experiments to conclude that elastic fibers closely associated with intestinal smooth muscle layers are responsible for the bending stiffness of the tube, and for establishing its pronounced mechanical anisotropy. These findings provide insights into the developmental role of elastic fibers in controlling tissue stiffness, and raise new questions on the physiologic function of elastic fibers in the intestine during adulthood. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=135 SRC="FIGDIR/small/606927v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (28K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1bbf9d9org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@10428eorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@181b530org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@9e758c_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG

developmental biology↗

bioRxiv2024

Application of tissue-scale tension to avian epithelia in vivo to study multiscale mechanical properties and inter-germ layer coupling

As cross-disciplinary approaches drawing from physics and mechanics have increasingly influenced our understanding of morphogenesis, the tools available to measure and perturb physical aspects of embryonic development have expanded as well. However, it remains a challenge to measure mechanical properties and apply exogenous tissue-scale forces in vivo, particularly for epithelia. Exploiting the size and accessibility of the developing chick embryo, here we describe a simple technique to quantitatively apply exogenous forces on the order of 1-100 N to the endodermal epithelium. To demonstrate the utility of this approach, we performed a series of proof-of-concept experiments that reveal fundamental and unexpected mechanical behaviors in the early chick embryo, including mechanotype heterogeneity among cells of the midgut endoderm, complex non-cell autonomous effects of actin disruption, and a high degree of mechanical coupling between the endoderm and adjacent paraxial mesoderm. To illustrate the broader utility of this method, we determined that forces on the order of 10 N are sufficient to unzip the neural tube during primary neurulation. Together, these findings provide basic insights into the mechanics of embryonic epithelia in vivo in the early avian embryo, and provide a useful tool for future investigations of how morphogenesis is influenced by mechanical factors. Graphical AbstractO_ST_ABSSummary StatementC_ST_ABS O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=101 SRC="FIGDIR/small/588089v2_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (59K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@7f0d90org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@153a4b0org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@614051org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@c5b432_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG A simple approach is devised to quantitatively apply tension to epithelia in vivo, and used to study endoderm mechanics in the deeloping chick embryo.

developmental biology↗

bioRxiv2023

Elastic fibers define embryonic tissue stiffness to enable buckling morphogenesis of the small intestine

During embryonic development, tissues must possess precise material properties to ensure that cell-generated forces give rise to the stereotyped morphologies of developing organs. However, the question of how material properties are established and regulated during development remains understudied. Here, we aim to address these broader questions through the study of intestinal looping, a process by which the initially straight intestinal tube buckles into loops, permitting ordered packing within the body cavity. Looping results from elongation of the tube against the constraint of an attached tissue, the dorsal mesentery, which is elastically stretched by the elongating tube to nearly triple its length. This elastic energy storage allows the mesentery to provide stable compressive forces that ultimately buckle the tube into loops. Beginning with a transcriptomic analysis of the mesentery, we identified widespread upregulation of extracellular matrix related genes during looping, including genes related to elastic fiber deposition. Combining molecular and mechanical analyses, we conclude that elastin confers tensile stiffness to the mesentery, enabling its mechanical role in organizing the developing small intestine. These results shed light on the role of elastin as a driver of morphogenesis that extends beyond its more established role in resisting cyclic deformation in adult tissues.

developmental biology↗