Periodic Reporting for period 2 - HydraMechanics (Mechanical Aspects of Hydra Morphogenesis)
Berichtszeitraum: 2020-08-01 bis 2022-01-31
In our research, we utilize the small predatory animal, Hydra, famous for its extraordinary regeneration capabilities, to study the role of mechanical processes and feedback in morphogenesis. Hydra provides an excellent model system to pursue this direction, thanks to its exquisite regeneration flexibility and relative simplicity; a regenerating Hydra can be controlled and manipulated, much like a physical system, yet it contains and operates all the machinery required for the development of a viable behaving organism. Using this relatively simple model system, we address fundamental questions regarding the role of mechanics in morphogenesis that are difficult to tackle in more complicated model organisms. Importantly, the basic mechanisms involved, including mechanical interactions between cells and structural reorganization of the actomyosin cytoskeleton in response to mechanical signals, are universal across the animal kingdom. Thus, we expect that the lessons learned from our work will shed light on the mechanical basis of morphogenesis in other organisms. As such, our research on Hydra regeneration will provide an important step towards the integration of mechanics with other developmental processes into a unified biophysical framework of morphogenesis.