Project description
How physical boundaries constrain and guide tissue morphogenesis
During tissue morphogenesis, cells self-organise, move and differentiate to form specific shapes, patterns and structures of tissue/organs. While the role of genes and local mechanics in tissue morphogenesis is well studied, how geometric constraints and curvature feedback influence tissue development is less clear. The ERC-funded GeoMorpho project aims to investigate the interaction between geometric boundaries and mechanochemical processes during tissue morphogenesis. In particular, it will study Drosophila embryos within the egg membrane and wing formation within the pupal case. Cell dynamics in both these systems rely on the flow, expansion and folding of tissue layers, where shape changes are guided by internal tensions and external constraints from rigid boundaries.
Objective
During development, cell movements and shape changes give rise to complex 3D forms. What underlies the fidelity of morphogenesis? To date, much emphasis has been placed on understanding how genes and local mechanics drive cell shape changes and tissue scale morphogenesis. However, the roles of the geometric properties of a tissue and its physical boundaries, their size, dimensionality, curvature and overall shape have recently emerged as important yet overlooked features of morphogenesis. This interdisciplinary project will unravel how geometry and geometric feedbacks constrain lower scale cell mechanics and how they contribute to tissue morphogenesis.
We will study the interplay between geometry and active mechanochemical processes in two systems where physical boundaries constrain and guide morphogenesis. In Drosophila embryos, polarized tissue flow and a wave of tissue invagination depend on interactions with the surrounding egg envelope called the vitelline membrane. This envelope imposes tissue curvature, forms a rigid adhesive substrate, and confines the diffusion of molecules within the extra-embryonic fluid. Likewise, formation of the wing during metamorphosis in the pupa is associated with a dramatic expansion of the tissue surface within a rigid pupal sac forcing a complex tissue packing without compromising flatness in adulthood. The mechanics of tissue flow and expansion are unknown. How flows within these constraints give rise to folding needs to be characterized. These two systems share key similarities: their dynamics depend on the flow, expansion and folding of tissue layers, and 3D deformations are driven by internal active stresses and external constraints from rigid boundaries. In both cases we will dissect the mechanochemical active processes driving cell and tissue deformations and address how geometrical constraints impact cell and tissue mechanics. This project will thus reveal how tissue shape affects the processes from which shape emerges.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences mathematics pure mathematics geometry
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine embryology
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Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
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Call for proposal
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(opens in new window) ERC-2024-ADG
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75794 Paris
France
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