Skull expansion: an in vivo study of cellular behaviors responsibe for sheet-shaped tissue morphogenesis.

• Applicant: Jacqueline Tabler, Ph.D.
• Subject Area: Developmental Biology ; Nuclear Medicine, Radiotherapy, Radiobiology ; Cell Biology
• Term: from 2018 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 415863801

A core principle in developmental biology is understanding the cellular events that drive organogenesis. As an organ’s physiology and function are often linked to its shape, understanding how shape is generated is essential. A common feature in shape generation, or morphogenesis, is anisotropic growth, where tissues do not grow equally in all directions, however, the cellular and physical cues that drive anisotropy in developing tissues are poorly understood. Amongst the simplest tissue shapes are sheets which can be derived either from epithelia or mesenchyme. While epithelial sheets have been well studied, shape generation in mesenchymal sheets has been entirely overlooked. Such sheets include the intramembranous bones of the skull which are indispensable for human life. The frontal bone is an example of one such understudied skeletal element that is particularly intriguing as it undergoes anisotropic expansion from the base of the brain to the apex of the head. We will, therefore, study morphogenesis of mouse frontal bones to investigate intrinsic and extrinsic cues driving anisotropic sheet-shaped tissue morphogenesis. To this end, we will use a novel ex vivo cell imaging platform, quantitative analyses, embryological approaches and ex vivo perturbations. This project will address basic principles in morphogenesis and significantly advance our understanding of craniofacial biology.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants