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SUMMARY:Stretching out the embryo - Anterior expansion and posterior addit
 ion to the notochord mechanically coordinate embryo axis elongation  - Sus
 ie McLaren\, University of Cambridge
DTSTART:20210601T133000Z
DTEND:20210601T140000Z
UID:TALK159577@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Elena Scarpa
DESCRIPTION:During development the embryo body progressively elongates fro
 m head-to-tail along the anterior-posterior (AP) axis. We investigated how
  the morphogenesis of one tissue can physically deform its neighbouring ti
 ssues to contribute to axis elongation. The rod-shaped notochord runs thro
 ugh the middle of the embryo and is flanked on either side by the somites 
 in the segmented region of the axis and presomitic mesoderm in the posteri
 or. Cells in the notochord undergo an expansion that is constrained by a s
 tiff sheath of extracellular matrix\, leading to an increase in notochord 
 stiffness as the embryo develops - making it a candidate for driving the p
 hysical deformation of surrounding somitic tissue. Using multi-photon medi
 ated cell ablation\, we removed specific regions of the developing notocho
 rd and quantified the impact on axis elongation. We show that anterior not
 ochord cell expansion generates a force that displaces notochord cells pos
 teriorly and contributes to the elongation of segmented tissue during post
 -tailbud stages of development. Crucially\, unexpanded cells derived from 
 posterior progenitors provide resistance to anterior notochord cell expans
 ion\, allowing for force generation across the AP axis. Therefore\, notoch
 ord cell expansion and addition of cells to the posterior notochord act as
  temporally coordinated morphogenetic events that elongate the zebrafish e
 mbryo AP axis.  
LOCATION:Online
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