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SUMMARY:Illuminating mechanisms of mammalian morphogenesis - Kate McDole (
 LMB)
DTSTART:20241121T160000Z
DTEND:20241121T170000Z
UID:TALK222106@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Michael Boemo
DESCRIPTION:Starting from a relatively simple\, uniform population of cell
 s the gastrulating mouse embryo quickly organizes into complex\, three-dim
 ensional structures built for highly specialized tasks. The question of ho
 w cells coordinate to build these structures and the physical forces invol
 ved in sculpting tissues into functional organs is one of intense investig
 ation. Likewise\, how developing and dynamic physical environments influen
 ce cell fate or behaviour is poorly understood. Many of these questions re
 main unresolved due to the sensitivity of mammalian embryos to culture and
  live-imaging\, and as such visualizing their development has been notorio
 usly difficult. We have developed an advanced\, adaptive light-sheet micro
 scope to gently and comprehensively image the mouse embryo development at 
 single-cell resolution over a course of days. With this system and a suite
  of computational tools\, we can track individual cells and analyse patter
 ns of divisions\, as well as build dynamic cell fate maps\, segment large 
 populations of cells\, and build computational models. We are able to desc
 ribe not only the morphogenesis of complex three-dimensional structures su
 ch as the formation of the early heart or neural tube\, but also follow th
 e migration and changing behaviours of specific cell types such as primord
 ial germ cells. By imaging during the onset of gastrulation\, we are able 
 to observe the origins of the mammalian midline\, the emergence of the nod
 e and the formation of the notochord. Following the development of these s
 tructures over the next 48 hours provides us a window into the transient l
 ife of the node\, its role in notochord elongation\, its retraction and di
 ssolution\, and the behaviour of cells within it. Our live-imaging and com
 putational tools enable us to describe this dynamic process in toto\, whic
 h is providing intriguing insights into this essential embryonic system.
LOCATION:Lecture Theatre\, Department of Pathology\, Tennis Court Road
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