TY - JOUR TI - Rapid changes in tissue mechanics regulate cell behaviour in the developing embryonic brain AU - Thompson, Amelia J AU - Pillai, Eva K AU - Dimov, Ivan B AU - Foster, Sarah K AU - Holt, Christine E AU - Franze, Kristian A2 - Mason, Carol A A2 - Bronner, Marianne E A2 - Bovolenta, Paola A2 - Castellani, Valerie VL - 8 PY - 2019 DA - 2019/01/15 SP - e39356 C1 - eLife 2019;8:e39356 DO - 10.7554/eLife.39356 UR - https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.39356 AB - Tissue mechanics is important for development; however, the spatio-temporal dynamics of in vivo tissue stiffness is still poorly understood. We here developed tiv-AFM, combining time-lapse in vivo atomic force microscopy with upright fluorescence imaging of embryonic tissue, to show that during development local tissue stiffness changes significantly within tens of minutes. Within this time frame, a stiffness gradient arose in the developing Xenopus brain, and retinal ganglion cell axons turned to follow this gradient. Changes in local tissue stiffness were largely governed by cell proliferation, as perturbation of mitosis diminished both the stiffness gradient and the caudal turn of axons found in control brains. Hence, we identified a close relationship between the dynamics of tissue mechanics and developmental processes, underpinning the importance of time-resolved stiffness measurements. KW - atomic force microscopy KW - mechanics KW - stiffness KW - mechanotransduction KW - durotaxis KW - axon guidance JF - eLife SN - 2050-084X PB - eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd ER -