How to Build an Eye - Dissecting the coordination between cellular rearrangements and the interplay with material properties of the tissue during Optic Cup Morphogenesis

Informazioni relative al progetto

HowToBE

ID dell’accordo di sovvenzione: 101038054

DOI

10.3030/101038054

Progetto chiuso

Data della firma CE 31 Marzo 2021

Data di avvio 1 Marzo 2022

Data di completamento 29 Febbraio 2024

Finanziato da

• SPREADING EXCELLENCE AND WIDENING PARTICIPATION

Costo totale

€ 147 815,04

Contributo UE

€ 147 815,04

Coordinato da

FUNDACAO CALOUSTE GULBENKIAN
Portugal

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - HowToBE (How to Build an Eye - Dissecting the coordination between cellular rearrangements and the interplay with material properties of the tissue during Optic Cup Morphogenesis)

Periodo di rendicontazione: 2022-03-01 al 2024-02-29

Sintesi del contesto e degli obiettivi generali del progetto

Building an organ is a multistep process in which correct morphogenesis emerges from feedback loops involving tight genetic control and mechanical forces. During organogenesis, discrete morphogenetic events (such as cell migration, intercalation or epithelia invagination) lead to the formation of 3-dimensional organs. One very prominent morphogenetic phenomenon driving organogenesis is the emergence of curvature in epithelia, which lays the architectural foundations for critical developmental processes. So far, the biomechanical interactions that lead to shape emergence have been mainly studied in ex vivo systems or in vivo for two-dimensional shape changes. Thus, we still lack comprehensive quantitative studies in vivo and in 3D, which would bring a multidimensional perspective to understanding organ formation.
To address this problem, we studied the morphogenesis of a complex curved 3D tissue, the vertebrate optic cup (OC), the precursor of the retina, where the different cell and tissue rearrangements can be studied in native 4D conditions.

Lavoro eseguito dall’inizio del progetto fino alla fine del periodo coperto dalla relazione e principali risultati finora ottenuti

In zebrafish, during invagination of the OC, three epithelial rearrangements take place in distinct areas: Rim cell migration, epithelial flattening, and basal foot shrinkage. Given the concurrent dynamics of these processes, we hypothesized that a combinatorial mechanical strategy is needed to achieve the final OC shape in a robust manner. We disrupted single rearrangements to study the interplay between the different cellular rearrangements and how they influence each other mechanically. We then analyzed how such disruptions influenced the other processes and if they interfered with the overall OC shape. To perform such analysis we used 4D segmentation of the different epithelia and of the single cells that compose them. We found that, even though the epithelial rearrangements occur concurrently (rim cell migration, epithelial flattening, and basal foot shrinkage), they do not influence each other and occur independently. Furthermore, the OC invagination can proceed upon disruption of one of those events, suggesting a strong robustness of this morphogenetic process. Analysis and description of shape changes, at cell and tissue level, during OC morphogenesis, together with the theoretical model of tissue invagination, allowed us to understand how the tissue is curving and which are the major players during this process.


This work, both theoretically and experimentally, contributes to the overall understanding of the formation of complex curved organs. The respective manuscript is being prepared and will be published in open-access format. The data will be available in public repositories when possible or upon request by other researchers.

Progressi oltre lo stato dell’arte e potenziale impatto previsto (incluso l’impatto socioeconomico e le implicazioni sociali più ampie del progetto fino ad ora)

This project adds to the current state of the art by studying, in 4 dimensions (3D + time), the detailed shape changes and the complex interactions that occur during the morphogenesis of a curved tissue in vivo. Such detailed description with an in vivo context is at the forefront of the study of tissue morphogenesis.
Until the end of the project, we expect to uncover the main driver of Optic Cup invagination and finish the theoretical model. The results will be published by the end of the year in an article with open acess format .

3D reconstruction of fully formed Optic Cup, seen in different orientations