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SUMMARY:A new force awakens: comparative approach to tissue morphogenesis 
 in insects - Dr Pavel Tomancak from Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell
  Biology and Genetics\, Dresden 
DTSTART:20190509T130000Z
DTEND:20190509T140000Z
UID:TALK120502@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Caroline Newnham
DESCRIPTION:"During gastrulation\, physical forces reshape the simple embr
 yonic tissue to form a complex body plan of multicellular organisms. These
  forces often cause large-scale asymmetric movements of the embryonic tiss
 ue. In many embryos\, the tissue undergoing gastrulation movements is surr
 ounded by a rigid protective shell. While it is well recognized that gastr
 ulation movements depend on forces generated by tissue-intrinsic contracti
 lity\, it is not known if interactions between the tissue and the protecti
 ve shell provide additional forces that impact gastrulation. Our recent wo
 rk has shown that a particular part of the blastoderm tissue of the red fl
 our beetle Tribolium castaneum tightly adheres in a temporally coordinated
  manner to the vitelline envelope surrounding the embryo. This attachment 
 generates an additional force that counteracts the tissue-intrinsic contra
 ctile forces to create asymmetric tissue movements. Furthermore\, this loc
 alized attachment is mediated by a specific integrin\, and its knock-down 
 leads to a gastrulation phenotype consistent with complete loss of attachm
 ent. Moreover\, analysis of another integrin in the fruit fly Drosophila m
 elanogaster suggests that gastrulation in this organism also relies on adh
 esion between the blastoderm and the vitelline envelope. Together\, our fi
 ndings reveal a conserved mechanism whereby the spatiotemporal pattern of 
 tissue adhesion to the vitelline envelope provides controllable counter-fo
 rces that shape gastrulation movements in insects. It also provides a new 
 perspective on evolution of early gastrulation processes impacted by patte
 rned contacts with the constraining extra-embryonic envelopes."
LOCATION:Biffen Lecture Theatre\, Department of Genetics\, Downing Site
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