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bioRxiv · 10.1101/718502

Symmetry breaking during morphogenesis of a mechanosensory organ

Erzberger, A.·Jacobo, A.·Dasgupta, A.·Hudspeth, A. J.
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Abstract

Actively regulated symmetry breaking, which is ubiquitous in biological cells, underlies phenomena such as directed cellular movement and morphological polarization. Here we investigate how an organ-level polarity pattern emerges through symmetry breaking at the cellular level during the formation of a mechanosensory organ. Combining theory, genetic perturbations, and in vivo imaging assisted by deep learning, we study the development and regeneration of the fluid-motion sensors in the zebrafishs lateral line. We find that two interacting symmetry-breaking events -- one mediated by biochemical signaling and the other by cellular mechanics -- give rise to a novel form of collective cell migration, which produces a mirror-symmetric polarity pattern in the receptor organ.

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Erzberger, A., Jacobo, A., Dasgupta, A., Hudspeth, A. J.. 2019-07-30. Symmetry breaking during morphogenesis of a mechanosensory organ. https://doi.org/10.1101/718502

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