Morphodynamic domains enable integration of live morphometrics and spatial transcriptomics
Abstract
Tissue development emerges from the coordinated behaviors of thousands of cells, orchestrated by gene regulatory networks. Recent methodological advances now enable high-resolution live imaging of cell- and tissue-scale dynamics and the construction of spatially resolved gene expression atlases. However, quantitatively linking these modalities remains a central challenge, limiting our ability to understand how gene regulatory networks drive cell- and tissue-scale behaviors. Here, using the Drosophila thorax epithelium as a model system, we introduce an analytical and computational framework based on tissue morphodynamic domains: regions defined by coherent cell and tissue dynamics extracted from live imaging morphometrics. Integrating morphodynamic domains with spatial transcriptomics enables the inference of gene regulatory networks associated with distinct spatial cell- and tissue-level behaviors. Statistical cross-scale analyses further allow the interrogation and validation of gene function, confirming or revealing regulators of specific morphogenetic dynamics. In particular, our framework uncovers a role for the Toll-like receptor Tollo in modulating tissue flow, contraction, and apoptosis. Together, our work establishes a framework that integrates spatial transcriptomics with quantitative, multiscale live morphometrics, providing a generalizable strategy to probe and understand developmental processes.
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BibTeX
@misc{leroy2026morphodynamic,
title = {{Morphodynamic domains enable integration of live morphometrics and spatial transcriptomics}},
author = {Adrien Leroy and Eric van Leen and Maria Balakireva and Lale Alpar and Fabian Gartner and Isabelle Gaugue and Stephane Pelletier and Remi Pigache and Mehdi Ech-Chouini and Julien Delpierre and Stephane Rigaud and Floris Bosveld and Lorette Noiret and Yohanns Bellaiche},
howpublished = {BioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.64898/2026.08.13.744578},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05767890v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Morphodynamic domains enable integration of live morphometrics and spatial transcriptomics
AU - Adrien Leroy
AU - Eric van Leen
AU - Maria Balakireva
AU - Lale Alpar
AU - Fabian Gartner
AU - Isabelle Gaugue
AU - Stephane Pelletier
AU - Remi Pigache
AU - Mehdi Ech-Chouini
AU - Julien Delpierre
AU - Stephane Rigaud
AU - Floris Bosveld
AU - Lorette Noiret
AU - Yohanns Bellaiche
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/13
PB - BioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.08.13.744578
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05767890v1
AB - Tissue development emerges from the coordinated behaviors of thousands of cells, orchestrated by gene regulatory networks. Recent methodological advances now enable high-resolution live imaging of cell- and tissue-scale dynamics and the construction of spatially resolved gene expression atlases. However, quantitatively linking these modalities remains a central challenge, limiting our ability to understand how gene regulatory networks drive cell- and tissue-scale behaviors. Here, using the Drosophila thorax epithelium as a model system, we introduce an analytical and computational framework based on tissue morphodynamic domains: regions defined by coherent cell and tissue dynamics extracted from live imaging morphometrics. Integrating morphodynamic domains with spatial transcriptomics enables the inference of gene regulatory networks associated with distinct spatial cell- and tissue-level behaviors. Statistical cross-scale analyses further allow the interrogation and validation of gene function, confirming or revealing regulators of specific morphogenetic dynamics. In particular, our framework uncovers a role for the Toll-like receptor Tollo in modulating tissue flow, contraction, and apoptosis. Together, our work establishes a framework that integrates spatial transcriptomics with quantitative, multiscale live morphometrics, providing a generalizable strategy to probe and understand developmental processes.
SN - 2692-8205
ER -