How to form a mirror-symmetric organ? Mechanics and signaling in mechanosensory hair cell maturation

Date

May 16, 2019

Time

4:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Speaker

Anna Erzberger

Affiliation

Rockerfelly University, N. Y.

Language

en

Main Topic

Biologie

Host

Carl Modes

Description

Actively regulated symmetry breaking, which is ubiquitous in biological cells, underlies phenomena such as directed cellular movement and morphological polarization. Here we investigate how a unique pattern of cellular polarity emerges during the formation of a mechanosensory organ. Combining theory, genetic perturbations, and in vivo imaging assisted by deep learning, we study the development and regeneration of the fluid-motion sensors in the zebrafish’s lateral line. We find that the combination of two successive symmetry-breaking events — one mediated by biochemical signaling and the other by cellular mechanics — gives rise to a novel form of collective cell migration, which leads to the emergence of a mirror-symmetric polarity pattern in the receptor organ. The morphogenetic principles that we identify underlie the robust regenerative capacity of the organ as well.

Last modified: May 17, 2019, 12:09:32 AM