Collective mechanics of embryogenesis: Formation of ventral furrow in Drosophila

TL;DR

This paper presents a 2D mechanical model explaining ventral furrow formation in Drosophila embryos, emphasizing the role of collective cell mechanics and membrane tensions in shape transformations during embryogenesis.

Contribution

It introduces a novel 2D mechanical model based on membrane tensions of undifferentiated epithelial cells to explain shape changes in Drosophila embryogenesis.

Findings

Multiple embryo cross-section shapes are predicted by the model.

Shape transformations align with experimental observations.

Collective mechanics are crucial in embryonic development processes.

Abstract

We propose a 2D mechanical model of the ventral furrow formation in Drosophila that is based on undifferentiated epithelial cells of identical properties whose energy resides in their membrane. Depending on the relative tensions of the apical, basal, and lateral sides, the minimal-energy states of the embryo cross-section includes circular, elliptical, biconcave, and buckled furrow shapes. We discuss the possible shape transformation consistent with reported experimental observations, arguing that generic collective mechanics may play an important role in the embryonic development in Drosophila.