Analysis of cellular behavior and cytoskeletal dynamics reveal a constriction mechanism driving optic cup morphogenesis
- Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo, Spain
- University of Heidelberg, Germany
Abstract
Contractile actomyosin networks have been shown to power tissue morphogenesis. Although the basic cellular machinery generating mechanical tension appears largely conserved, tensions propagate in unique ways within each tissue. Here we use the vertebrate eye as a paradigm to investigate how tensions are generated and transmitted during the folding of a neuroepithelial layer. We record membrane pulsatile behavior and actomyosin dynamics during zebrafish optic cup morphogenesis by live imaging. We show that retinal neuroblasts undergo fast oscillations and that myosin condensation correlates with episodic contractions that progressively reduce basal feet area. Interference with lamc1 function impairs basal contractility and optic cup folding. Mapping of tensile forces by laser cutting uncover a developmental window in which local ablations trigger the displacement of the entire tissue. Our work shows that optic cup morphogenesis is driven by a constriction mechanism and indicates that supra-cellular transmission of mechanical tension depends on ECM attachment.
Article and author information
Author details
Juan R Martínez-Morales
Funding
Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (BFU2011-22916)
- Juan R Martínez-Morales
Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (P11-CVI-7256)
- Juan R Martínez-Morales
Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (BFU2014-53765)
- Juan R Martínez-Morales
Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (BFU2014-55738-REDT)
- Juan R Martínez-Morales
The funders had no role in study design, data collection and interpretation, or the decision to submit the work for publication.
Ethics
Animal experimentation: All experiments conform national (RD53/2013) and European Community standards for the use of zebrafish in experimentation . This work has been approved by three independent comittees on the Ethics of Animal Experiments at the Pablo de Olavide University, the National Reseach Council (CSIC) and the local Goverment of Andalucia (permit number 26-11-14-164).
Copyright
© 2016, Nicolás-Pérez et al.
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License permitting unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.
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Analysis of cellular behavior and cytoskeletal dynamics reveal a constriction mechanism driving optic cup morphogenesis
eLife 5:e15797.
https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.15797
