Tissue and organ development during embryogenesis relies on the collective and
coordinated action of many cells. Recent studies have revealed that tissue material …

How the shape of embryos and organs emerges during development is a fundamental
question that has fascinated scientists for centuries. Tissue dynamics arise from a small set …

The cytoskeleton of animal cells is one of the most complicated and functionally versatile
structures, involved in processes such as endocytosis, cell division, intra-cellular transport …

Precisely controlled cell deformations are key to cell migration, division and tissue
morphogenesis, and have been implicated in cell differentiation during development, as well …

Cell–cell junctions are specializations of the plasma membrane responsible for physically
integrating cells into tissues. We are now beginning to appreciate the diverse impacts that …

During epithelial morphogenesis, E-cadherin adhesive junctions play an important part in
mechanically coupling the contractile cortices of cells together, thereby distributing the …

Epithelial cells display dynamic behaviours, such as rearrangement, movement and shape
changes, particularly during embryonic development and in equivalent processes in adults …

The cortex is a thin, crosslinked actin network lying immediately beneath the plasma
membrane of animal cells. Myosin motors exert contractile forces in the meshwork. Because …

The generation of organismal form—morphogenesis—arises from forces produced at the
cellular level. In animal cells, much of this force is produced by the actin cytoskeleton. Here …

During development, mechanical forces cause changes in size, shape, number, position,
and gene expression of cells. They are therefore integral to any morphogenetic processes …