Ectoderm tensile stress controls mesoderm internalization during embryo gastrulation
Abstract
Gastrulation is the dynamic reorganization of embryonic cells into a multistratified epithelial system from which inner and outer organs originate and a mature animal emerges. Tissue folding is one of the key morphogenetic processes driving gastrulation. While the biochemical signals are well deciphered, the biomechanical bases of tissue folding are still poorly understood. Here we study mesoderm invagination during Drosophila gastrulation, a process that results from the folding of the ventral embryonic tissue. The prospective mesoderm forms a furrow and eventually internalizes. How mesoderm internalization is mechanically controlled is still unclear. By combining spatio- temporal stress mapping, two-photon optogenetic-based force patterning, and in toto embryo imaging, we show that the ectoderm tensile stress is developmentally fine-tuned on both lateral sides of the embryo to control the internalization of the mesoderm. Thus, the ectoderm-mesoderm mechanical interplay is key to ensuring folding in embryo gastrulation.
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BibTeX
@article{tanari2026ectoderm,
title = {{Ectoderm tensile stress controls mesoderm internalization during embryo gastrulation}},
author = {Abdul Basith Tanari and Antoine Jallon and Jocelyn Étienne and Matteo Rauzi},
journal = {Nature Communications},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.1038/s41467-026-77010-4},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05765005v1},
note = {CC BY-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Ectoderm tensile stress controls mesoderm internalization during embryo gastrulation
AU - Abdul Basith Tanari
AU - Antoine Jallon
AU - Jocelyn Étienne
AU - Matteo Rauzi
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/25
JO - Nature Communications
DO - 10.1038/s41467-026-77010-4
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05765005v1
AB - Gastrulation is the dynamic reorganization of embryonic cells into a multistratified epithelial system from which inner and outer organs originate and a mature animal emerges. Tissue folding is one of the key morphogenetic processes driving gastrulation. While the biochemical signals are well deciphered, the biomechanical bases of tissue folding are still poorly understood. Here we study mesoderm invagination during Drosophila gastrulation, a process that results from the folding of the ventral embryonic tissue. The prospective mesoderm forms a furrow and eventually internalizes. How mesoderm internalization is mechanically controlled is still unclear. By combining spatio- temporal stress mapping, two-photon optogenetic-based force patterning, and in toto embryo imaging, we show that the ectoderm tensile stress is developmentally fine-tuned on both lateral sides of the embryo to control the internalization of the mesoderm. Thus, the ectoderm-mesoderm mechanical interplay is key to ensuring folding in embryo gastrulation.
SN - 2041-1723
SN - 2041-1723
ER -