Integration of cell polarity, cell adhesion and actomyosin dynamics during epithelial morphogenesis

在多细胞生物中，上皮的形态发生依赖于细胞极性、细胞黏附和细胞收缩的协调。在这个项目中，我们计划破译果蝇胚胎背部闭合过程中肌动球蛋白自组装和动力学调控的遗传、细胞生物学和生物物理基础，以及它与连接可塑性的关系。为此，我们将使用一种新的基于波动的成像技术(共移动动力学分析，CoKA)来破译导致肌动球蛋白皮质动力学和动力学的生化反应网络。我们将研究上皮极性的顶端调节因子Crumbs对肌动球蛋白动力学的调节作用。此外，我们将研究小带附着如何影响肌动蛋白的自组装和动态平衡，以确定连接成分在调控肌动蛋白动力学中的作用。我们的工作将确定面包屑、顶基细胞极性和Zoula黏附如何调节肌球蛋白细胞骨架动力学的动力学，以驱动背部闭合，这是果蝇发育中必不可少的形态发生过程。

Epithelial morphogenesis in multicellular organisms depends on the coordination of cell polarity, cell adhesion and cell contractility. In this project we plan to decipher the genetic, cell biological and biophysical basis that underlies the regulation of actomyosin self-assembly and dynamics and its relation to junctional plasticity during dorsal closure in the Drosophila embryo. For this, we will make us of a novel fluctuation-based imaging technique (Co-moving Kinetic Analysis, COKA) to decipher the biochemical reaction network that gives rise to actomyosin cortical kinetics and dynamics. We will investigate the function of Crumbs, an apical regulator of epithelial polarity, on regulating actomyosin dynamics. Furthermore, we will investigate how the zonula adherens impacts actomyosin self-assembly and homeostasis, to identify the role that junctional components have in regulating actomyosin dynamics. Our work will identify how Crumbs, apico-basal cell polarity and the zoula adherens regulate dynamics of the actomyosin cytoskeletal dynamics to drive dorsal closure, an essential morphogenetic process in Drosophila development.