How embryonic cells 'read' their boundaries to organize themselves

How embryonic cells 'read' their boundaries to organize themselves

In the earliest stages of life, mammalian embryos start as a disorganized cluster of cells. As development progresses, these cells become organized into well-defined shapes and structures. This process happens again and again during development, yet it unfolds in environments full of noise and variability. So how do individual cells know which way to point? And what determines where the embryo will form its fluid-filled cavity, a crucial step in…

Cells, boundaries, and the emergence of biological order

Summary During embryonic development, cells with biochemically distinct ends – called polarised cells – organise into distinct patterns based on their orientation. Using theoretical physics approaches and quantitative experiments, scientists have shown how the shape of tissue boundaries determines these patterns. They found that specific features in these patterns – called topological defects – determine where the proamniotic cavity, an importa…