"Building muscle in development"

Hosts: Professors Jens Januschke & Rastko Sknepnek

Venue: MSI Small Lecture Theatre

Abstract

How does complex organ shape emerge during development? How is organ formation coordinated to ensure robust morphogenesis? We use quantitative biology techniques and modelling to help answer these important questions. We are particularly interested in how mechanical interactions guide morphogenesis, and how such mechanics interact with signalling networks during development.

In this talk, I will discuss how the complex form of the skeletal muscle emerges during development. This will span from how preadaxial cells are mechanically defined with the presomitic mesoderm through to how elongating muscle fibres pack coherently within the newly formed myotome segments. This work reveals that the balance between cell fate, cell adhesion, internal cellular mechanical processes and boundary constraints is tightly regulated during morphogenesis to ensure robust formation of the skeletal muscle.