Zhou Sijia, Liu Bing, Liu Jiaying, Yi Bin, Wang Xiaobo
Department of Anesthesiology, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China; Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology Department (MCD), Centre de Biologie Integrative (CBI), University of Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, France.
Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology Department (MCD), Centre de Biologie Integrative (CBI), University of Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, France.
Semin Cell Dev Biol. 2025 Feb;166:36-51. doi: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2024.12.004. Epub 2024 Dec 26.
Collective cell migration and tissue morphogenesis play a variety of important roles in the development of many species. Tissue morphogenesis often generates mechanical forces that alter cell shapes and arrangements, resembling collective cell migration-like behaviors. Genetic methods have been widely used to study collective cell migration and its like behavior, advancing our understanding of these processes during development. However, a growing body of research shows that collective cell migration during development is not a simple behavior but is often combined with other cellular and tissue processes. In addition, different surrounding environments can also influence migrating cells, further complicating collective cell migration during development. Due to the complexity of developmental processes and tissues, traditional genetic approaches often encounter challenges and limitations. Thus, some methods with spatiotemporal control become urgent in dissecting collective cell migration and tissue morphogenesis during development. Optogenetics is a method that combines optics and genetics, providing a perfect strategy for spatiotemporally controlling corresponding protein activity in subcellular, cellular or tissue levels. In this review, we introduce the basic mechanisms underlying different optogenetic tools. Then, we demonstrate how optogenetic methods have been applied in vivo to dissect collective cell migration and tissue morphogenesis during development. Additionally, we describe some promising optogenetic approaches for advancing this field. Together, this review will guide and facilitate future studies of collective cell migration in vivo and tissue morphogenesis by optogenetics.
集体细胞迁移和组织形态发生在许多物种的发育过程中发挥着多种重要作用。组织形态发生通常会产生机械力，改变细胞形状和排列，类似于集体细胞迁移样行为。遗传方法已被广泛用于研究集体细胞迁移及其类似行为，增进了我们对发育过程中这些过程的理解。然而，越来越多的研究表明，发育过程中的集体细胞迁移并非简单行为，而是常常与其他细胞和组织过程相结合。此外，不同的周围环境也会影响迁移细胞，使发育过程中的集体细胞迁移更加复杂。由于发育过程和组织的复杂性，传统的遗传方法常常面临挑战和局限。因此，一些具有时空控制能力的方法对于剖析发育过程中的集体细胞迁移和组织形态发生变得迫切。光遗传学是一种将光学和遗传学相结合的方法，为在亚细胞、细胞或组织水平上时空控制相应蛋白质活性提供了完美策略。在本综述中，我们介绍了不同光遗传学工具的基本机制。然后，我们展示了光遗传学方法如何在体内应用于剖析发育过程中的集体细胞迁移和组织形态发生。此外，我们描述了一些推动该领域发展的有前景的光遗传学方法。总之，本综述将指导并促进未来通过光遗传学对体内集体细胞迁移和组织形态发生的研究。
