ESF QuanTissue Workshop

The 8th European zebrafish meeting first started with the “ESF QuanTissue” workshop, a 4 hour session where speakers showed current research about basic mechanisms that regulate cellular behavior during morphogenetic processes. Talks were given by outstanding scientists studying in detail mechanistic behind epiboly, rhombomeres and MHB formation, proneuromast assembly, somitogenesis, and tracheal morphogenesis.

In the first talk, Carl-Philipp Heisenberg showed how the Enveloping Cell Layer spreads during epiboly to completely engulf the embryo at the end of gastrulation. Using laser cuts, cell ablation and embryo deformation to induce ectopic tension, he dissected the role of orientation of the mitotic spindle as a key regulator of this process. Then, Guillaume Salbreux and Philippe-Alexandre Pouille, talked about physics behind epiboly, how pulling forces and friction govern the movement of cells during early gastrulation and mediates shape changes.

Next, Cristina Pujades finely showed the role of apical actomyosin cables in cell segregation during rhombomeres boundary formation. Acting as barriers, these cables prevent cells to intermingle between adjacent rhombomere domains. Before the coffee break, Jordi Casanova (the fly “intruder”), showed his beautiful data about how tracheas are formed by migration and cell intercalation during development, a process that require modification of cadherin accumulation to change cell shape and allow cells to execute their normal behavior.

Later on, Mansi Gupta explored the relevance played by the extracellular matrix on the establishment of gradients of secreted factors (like fgf8) during gastrulation. Heparan sulfate molecules perform an active role in gradient formation regulating fgf8 diffusion from it source. Then, Virginie Lecaudey, showed her fantastic work related to dissect signaling pathways required for rosette formation during proneuromast assembly. These rosettes are formed by constriction of the apical side of epithelial cells mediated by fgf signaling. She showed that shroom3 is essential for rosette formation and that this gene act downstream of fgf signaling to promote apical constriction and hence rosette formation in the proneuromast.

Finally Daniele Soroldoni, showed amazing data related to the role of gene expression waves during somitogenesis. He visualized the activity of the segmentation clock and quantitatively compared the rate of somite formation and the release of gene expression waves in the pacemaker region. Surprisingly, he found that the period in the pacemaker region is different to the period of somitogenesis.

Overall, the workshop was very interesting, with high quality talks. The mechanistic behind different processes during development is getting unraveled.

This post is part of a series of posts on the 8th european zebrafish meeting.

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