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Katoh TA, Fukai YT, Ishibashi T. Optical microscopic imaging, manipulation, and analysis methods for morphogenesis research. Microscopy (Oxf) 2024; 73:226-242. [PMID: 38102756 PMCID: PMC11154147 DOI: 10.1093/jmicro/dfad059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Morphogenesis is a developmental process of organisms being shaped through complex and cooperative cellular movements. To understand the interplay between genetic programs and the resulting multicellular morphogenesis, it is essential to characterize the morphologies and dynamics at the single-cell level and to understand how physical forces serve as both signaling components and driving forces of tissue deformations. In recent years, advances in microscopy techniques have led to improvements in imaging speed, resolution and depth. Concurrently, the development of various software packages has supported large-scale, analyses of challenging images at the single-cell resolution. While these tools have enhanced our ability to examine dynamics of cells and mechanical processes during morphogenesis, their effective integration requires specialized expertise. With this background, this review provides a practical overview of those techniques. First, we introduce microscopic techniques for multicellular imaging and image analysis software tools with a focus on cell segmentation and tracking. Second, we provide an overview of cutting-edge techniques for mechanical manipulation of cells and tissues. Finally, we introduce recent findings on morphogenetic mechanisms and mechanosensations that have been achieved by effectively combining microscopy, image analysis tools and mechanical manipulation techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takanobu A Katoh
- Department of Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Yohsuke T Fukai
- Nonequilibrium Physics of Living Matter RIKEN Hakubi Research Team, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, 2-2-3 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan
| | - Tomoki Ishibashi
- Laboratory for Physical Biology, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, 2-2-3 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan
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Runser S, Vetter R, Iber D. SimuCell3D: three-dimensional simulation of tissue mechanics with cell polarization. NATURE COMPUTATIONAL SCIENCE 2024; 4:299-309. [PMID: 38594592 PMCID: PMC11052725 DOI: 10.1038/s43588-024-00620-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
The three-dimensional (3D) organization of cells determines tissue function and integrity, and changes markedly in development and disease. Cell-based simulations have long been used to define the underlying mechanical principles. However, high computational costs have so far limited simulations to either simplified cell geometries or small tissue patches. Here, we present SimuCell3D, an efficient open-source program to simulate large tissues in three dimensions with subcellular resolution, growth, proliferation, extracellular matrix, fluid cavities, nuclei and non-uniform mechanical properties, as found in polarized epithelia. Spheroids, vesicles, sheets, tubes and other tissue geometries can readily be imported from microscopy images and simulated to infer biomechanical parameters. Doing so, we show that 3D cell shapes in layered and pseudostratified epithelia are largely governed by a competition between surface tension and intercellular adhesion. SimuCell3D enables the large-scale in silico study of 3D tissue organization in development and disease at a great level of detail.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steve Runser
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering (D-BSSE), ETH Zürich, Basel, Switzerland
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB), Basel, Switzerland
| | - Roman Vetter
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering (D-BSSE), ETH Zürich, Basel, Switzerland
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB), Basel, Switzerland
| | - Dagmar Iber
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering (D-BSSE), ETH Zürich, Basel, Switzerland.
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB), Basel, Switzerland.
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Bermudez A, Muñoz SN, Blaik R, Rowat AC, Hu J, Lin NYC. Using Histologic Image Analysis to Understand Biophysical Regulations of Epithelial Cell Morphology. BIOPHYSICIST (ROCKVILLE, MD.) 2023; 5:1-14. [PMID: 39165674 PMCID: PMC11335341 DOI: 10.35459/tbp.2023.000253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/22/2024]
Abstract
Epithelial mechanics and mechanobiology have become 2 important research fields in life sciences and bioengineering. These fields investigate how physical factors induced by cell adhesion and collective behaviors can directly regulate biologic processes, such as organ development and disease progression. Cell mechanics and mechanobiology thus make exciting biophysics education topics to illustrate how fundamental physics principles play a role in regulating cell biology. However, the field currently lacks hands-on activities that engage students in learning science and outreach programs in these topics. One such area is the development of robust hands-on modules that allow students to observe features of cell shape and mechanics and connect them to fundamental physics principles. Here, we demonstrate a workflow that engages students in studying epithelial cell mechanics by using commercial histology slides of frog skin. We show that by using recently developed artificial intelligence-based image-segmentation tools, students can easily quantify different cell morphologic features in a high-throughput manner. Using our workflow, students can reproduce 2 essential findings in cell mechanics: the common gamma distribution of normalized cell aspect ratio in jammed epithelia and the constant ratio between the nuclear and cellular area. Importantly, because the only required instrument for this active learning module is a readily available light microscope and a computer, our module is relatively low cost, as well as portable. These features make the module scalable for students at various education levels and outreach programs. This highly accessible education module provides a fun and engaging way to introduce students to the world of epithelial tissue mechanics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Bermudez
- Bioengineering Department, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Samanta Negrete Muñoz
- Bioengineering Department, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Rita Blaik
- California NanoSystems Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Amy C Rowat
- Bioengineering Department, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- California NanoSystems Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Broad Stem Cell Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jimmy Hu
- Broad Stem Cell Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- School of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Neil Y C Lin
- Bioengineering Department, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- California NanoSystems Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Broad Stem Cell Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Ramos AP, Szalapak A, Ferme LC, Modes CD. From cells to form: A roadmap to study shape emergence in vivo. Biophys J 2023; 122:3587-3599. [PMID: 37243338 PMCID: PMC10541488 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2023.05.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2023] [Revised: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Organogenesis arises from the collective arrangement of cells into progressively 3D-shaped tissue. The acquisition of a correctly shaped organ is then the result of a complex interplay between molecular cues, responsible for differentiation and patterning, and the mechanical properties of the system, which generate the necessary forces that drive correct shape emergence. Nowadays, technological advances in the fields of microscopy, molecular biology, and computer science are making it possible to see and record such complex interactions in incredible, unforeseen detail within the global context of the developing embryo. A quantitative and interdisciplinary perspective of developmental biology becomes then necessary for a comprehensive understanding of morphogenesis. Here, we provide a roadmap to quantify the events that lead to morphogenesis from imaging to image analysis, quantification, and modeling, focusing on the discrete cellular and tissue shape changes, as well as their mechanical properties.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alicja Szalapak
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany; Center for Systems Biology Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | | | - Carl D Modes
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany; Center for Systems Biology Dresden, Dresden, Germany; Cluster of Excellence Physics of Life, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
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Nishizawa K, Lin SZ, Chardès C, Rupprecht JF, Lenne PF. Two-point optical manipulation reveals mechanosensitive remodeling of cell-cell contacts in vivo. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2212389120. [PMID: 36947511 PMCID: PMC10068846 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2212389120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Biological tissues acquire reproducible shapes during development through dynamic cell behaviors. Most of these behaviors involve the remodeling of cell-cell contacts. During epithelial morphogenesis, contractile actomyosin networks remodel cell-cell contacts by shrinking and extending junctions between lateral cell surfaces. However, actomyosin networks not only generate mechanical stresses but also respond to them, confounding our understanding of how mechanical stresses remodel cell-cell contacts. Here, we develop a two-point optical manipulation method to impose different stress patterns on cell-cell contacts in the early epithelium of the Drosophila embryo. The technique allows us to produce junction extension and shrinkage through different push and pull manipulations at the edges of junctions. We use these observations to expand classical vertex-based models of tissue mechanics, incorporating negative and positive mechanosensitive feedback depending on the type of remodeling. In particular, we show that Myosin-II activity responds to junction strain rate and facilitates full junction shrinkage. Altogether our work provides insight into how stress produces efficient deformation of cell-cell contacts in vivo and identifies unanticipated mechanosensitive features of their remodeling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenji Nishizawa
- Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, IBDM, Turing Centre for Living systems, Marseille UMR 7288, France
| | - Shao-Zhen Lin
- Aix Marseille Univ, Université de Toulon, CNRS, CPT, Turing Centre for Living systems, Marseille UMR 7332, France
| | - Claire Chardès
- Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, IBDM, Turing Centre for Living systems, Marseille UMR 7288, France
| | - Jean-François Rupprecht
- Aix Marseille Univ, Université de Toulon, CNRS, CPT, Turing Centre for Living systems, Marseille UMR 7332, France
| | - Pierre-François Lenne
- Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, IBDM, Turing Centre for Living systems, Marseille UMR 7288, France
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