Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Pfotenhauerstrasse 108, 01307 Dresden, Germany.
Curr Biol. 2009 Sep 15;19(17):R790-9. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2009.07.029.
Together with cell growth, division and death, changes in cell shape are of central importance for tissue morphogenesis during development. Cell shape is the product of a cell's material and active properties balanced by external forces. Control of cell shape, therefore, relies on both tight regulation of intracellular mechanics and the cell's physical interaction with its environment. In this review, we first discuss the biological and physical mechanisms of cell shape control. We next examine a number of developmental processes in which cell shape change - either individually or in a coordinated manner - drives embryonic morphogenesis and discuss how cell shape is controlled in these processes. Finally, we emphasize that cell shape control during tissue morphogenesis can only be fully understood by using a combination of cellular, molecular, developmental and biophysical approaches.
细胞的生长、分裂和死亡，以及细胞形状的变化，在发育过程中的组织形态发生中具有核心重要性。细胞形状是细胞物质和活性特性的产物，由外部力量平衡。因此，对细胞形状的控制依赖于细胞内力学的紧密调节以及细胞与其环境的物理相互作用。在这篇综述中，我们首先讨论细胞形状控制的生物学和物理机制。接下来，我们研究了一些发育过程，其中细胞形状的变化——无论是单独的还是协调的——驱动胚胎形态发生，并讨论了在这些过程中如何控制细胞形状。最后，我们强调，只有通过结合细胞、分子、发育和生物物理方法，才能全面了解组织形态发生过程中的细胞形状控制。
