# Beyond biochemical patterning: How mechanical bistability governs robust organoid morphogenesis

## TL;DR

The paper explains how mechanical forces, not just biochemistry, control the shape and development of intestinal organoids.

## Contribution

The study introduces a new 3D vertex model that incorporates epithelial thickness and lumen pressure to explain organoid morphogenesis.

## Key findings

- Mechanical bistability regulates intestinal organoid morphogenesis through lumen-actomyosin feedback.
- The model explains irreversible crypt budding and snap-through transitions in epithelial tissues.
- Epithelial thickness and lumen pressure are critical for morphological stability in organoids.

## Abstract

Understanding the regulatory mechanisms of intestinal organoid morphogenesis remains a fundamental challenge in organoid biology. Emerging evidence highlights mechanical bistability as a critical regulator, mediated by dynamic lumen-actomyosin feedback. The recently developed 3D vertex model demonstrates that crypt curvature modulates actomyosin localization via mechanosensitive pathways, creating two stable morphological states—bulged or budded—depending on mechanical history. This model advances beyond static vertex models by incorporating epithelial thickness variations and lumen pressure effects, explaining previously unresolved phenomena like irreversible crypt budding and snap-through transitions. The findings establish a new framework for understanding mechanical decision-making in epithelial tissues, with implications for organoid engineering and developmental biology.

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