Surface Tension and Stalk Elongation Drive Dictyostelium Morphogenesis
- 1Kyoto University
Abstract
We investigate the mechanical principles underlying fruiting body morphogenesis in Dictyostelium discoideum. Quantitative shape analysis based on the Young--Laplace law, together with AFM indentation measurements, indicate surface tension as the dominant tissue-scale force acting on the culminating fruiting body. Based on this observation, we construct a hydrodynamic phase-field model with tunable surface and interfacial tensions, and analyze its behavior numerically. Our results show that, once a stalk begins to form, the elevation of the cell mass arises naturally through a dewetting process. Through quantitative comparisons with experimental measurements, we identify the mechanical conditions required for detachment from the substrate and for establishment of the characteristic morphology of the culminating fruiting body. Together, our model analysis highlights the importance of stalk-tip elongation and tissue-scale surface and interfacial tensions in the construction of large-scale three-dimensional tissues.
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BibTeX
@misc{nishikawa2026surface,
title = {{Surface Tension and Stalk Elongation Drive Dictyostelium Morphogenesis}},
author = {S. Nishikawa and S. Kuwana and G. Honda and H. Hashimura and S. Sawai and S. Ishihara},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.64898/2026.09.02.748873},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.02.748873v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Surface Tension and Stalk Elongation Drive Dictyostelium Morphogenesis
AU - S. Nishikawa
AU - S. Kuwana
AU - G. Honda
AU - H. Hashimura
AU - S. Sawai
AU - S. Ishihara
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/02
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.09.02.748873
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.02.748873v1
AB - We investigate the mechanical principles underlying fruiting body morphogenesis in Dictyostelium discoideum. Quantitative shape analysis based on the Young--Laplace law, together with AFM indentation measurements, indicate surface tension as the dominant tissue-scale force acting on the culminating fruiting body. Based on this observation, we construct a hydrodynamic phase-field model with tunable surface and interfacial tensions, and analyze its behavior numerically. Our results show that, once a stalk begins to form, the elevation of the cell mass arises naturally through a dewetting process. Through quantitative comparisons with experimental measurements, we identify the mechanical conditions required for detachment from the substrate and for establishment of the characteristic morphology of the culminating fruiting body. Together, our model analysis highlights the importance of stalk-tip elongation and tissue-scale surface and interfacial tensions in the construction of large-scale three-dimensional tissues.
ER -