Democratizing embryo biomechanics: Development of robust and accessible methods to quantify sub-cellular mechanics in vivo

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Abstract: It is now widely recognized that any comprehensive understanding of morphogenesis will require careful quantification of mechanical forces in vivo. However, twin challenges stand in our way: First, we currently possess only a sparse sampling of subcellular mechanics in embryos, in part because such analyses are limited by the need for advanced instrumentation. Second, most analyses of mechanical properties do not provide sufficient spatial resolution to quantify localized mechanical heterogeneities in discrete sub-regions of the cell. Here, we attack both problems by developing robust methods for non-invasive quantification of the mechanical properties of both cell-cell junctions and the cytoplasm. The proposal will develop these tools in the context of vertebrate embryo axis elongation, but both methods should be widely accessible, requiring only fluorescent reporters and standard microscopes. Success of the project would 1) improve our depth of understanding through their high spatial and time resolution and their non- invasive nature and 2) improve our breadth of understanding by making quantitative biomechanical analysis in embryos far more accessible to a wide range of investigators.