Mechanics and Genetics of Embryonic and Tumoral Development Group, UMR168 CNRS, Institut Curie, Paris, France.
Curr Top Dev Biol. 2011;95:243-65. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-385065-2.00008-6.
Biochemical patterning and morphogenetic movements coordinate the design of embryonic development. The molecular processes that pattern and closely control morphogenetic movements are today becoming well understood. Recent experimental evidence demonstrates that mechanical cues generated by morphogenesis activate mechanotransduction pathways, which in turn regulate cytoskeleton remodeling, cell proliferation, tissue differentiation. From Drosophila oocytes and embryos to Xenopus and mouse embryos and Arabidopsis meristem, here we review the developmental processes known to be activated in vivo by the mechanical strains associated to embryonic multicellular tissue morphogenesis. We describe the genetic, mechanical, and magnetic tools that have allowed the testing of mechanical induction in development by a step-by-step uncoupling of genetic inputs from mechanical inputs in embryogenesis. We discuss the known underlying molecular mechanisms involved in such mechanotransduction processes, including the Armadillo/β-catenin activation of Twist and the Fog-dependent stabilization of Myosin-II. These mechanotransduction processes are associated with a variety of physiological functions, such as mid-gut differentiation, mesoderm invagination and skeletal joint differentiation in embryogenesis, cell migration and internal pressure regulation during oogenesis, and meristem morphogenesis. We describe how the conservation of associated mechanosensitive pathways in embryonic and adult tissues opens new perspectives on mechanical involvement, potentially in evolution, and in cancer progression.
生化模式形成和形态发生运动协调胚胎发育的设计。今天，模式形成和密切控制形态发生运动的分子过程已经得到很好的理解。最近的实验证据表明，形态发生产生的机械线索激活了机械转导途径，进而调节细胞骨架重塑、细胞增殖、组织分化。从果蝇卵母细胞和胚胎到非洲爪蟾和小鼠胚胎以及拟南芥分生组织，我们在这里回顾了已知在体内被胚胎多细胞组织形态发生相关的机械应变激活的发育过程。我们描述了遗传、机械和磁工具，这些工具允许通过在胚胎发生中逐步将遗传输入与机械输入解耦来测试机械诱导。我们讨论了这种机械转导过程中涉及的已知分子机制，包括 Armadillo/β-catenin 对 Twist 的激活和 Fog 依赖性对 Myosin-II 的稳定。这些机械转导过程与多种生理功能相关，如中肠分化、中胚层内陷和骨骼关节分化、卵子发生过程中的细胞迁移和内部压力调节，以及分生组织形态发生。我们描述了相关机械敏感途径在胚胎和成人组织中的保守性如何为机械参与开辟了新的视角，可能涉及进化和癌症进展。
