Speaker
Description
The apicomedial actomyosin network is crucial for generating mechanical forces in cells. Pulsatile, oscillatory behaviour of this contractile network occurs in multiple organisms and contexts, for example during mouse embryo compaction or xenopus neurulation. However, the emergence and control of such pulsed contractions are not fully understood. Here, we study pulsed contractions of larval epithelial cells during development of the abdomen in fruit flies. Specifically, we combine \emph{in vivo} 4D microscopy and simulations of an active elastomer to investigate subcellular spatial patterns of actomyosin dynamics. Our model quantitatively matches \emph{in vivo} observations. We find that cell shape, cell polarity, and organisation of the cell's actomyosin network codetermine spatiotemporal network dynamics both \emph{in vivo} and in simulations. Furthermore, the model correctly predicts changes to LEC contractile activity under genetic perturbation of the actomyosin network. Our results highlight that cell geometry and polarity are important contributors to \emph{in vivo} actomyosin dynamics. Moreover, our findings support the notion that spatiotemporal oscillatory behaviour of the actomyosin network is an emergent property, rather than driven by upstream signalling.
Bibliography
@article{
doi:10.1073/pnas.2503955123,
author = {Euan D. Mackay and Aimee Bebbington and Jens Januschke and Jochen Kursawe and Marcus Bischoff and Rastko Sknepnek },
title = {An active matter model captures spatial dynamics of actomyosin oscillations in larval epithelial cells during \emph{Drosophila} morphogenesis},
journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences},
volume = {123},
number = {3},
pages = {e2503955123},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.1073/pnas.2503955123},
URL = {https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.2503955123},
eprint = {https://www.pnas.org/doi/pdf/10.1073/pnas.2503955123}}
