–Jérôme Solon, Ikerbasque Research Professor, Biofisika Institute (Basque Centre for Biophysics)

https://biofisika.org/author/jsolon/

During embryogenesis, dramatic tissue reorganization occurs under the control of specific signaling pathways. Mechanical forces are coordinated in order to rearrange biological tissues and shape organs. The mechanisms at the origin of the generation and regulation of these forces during development to ensure correct cell positioning and tissue shaping remain elusive. Using Drosophila as a model system, my group is interested in understanding the principles underlying the control of fundamental modes of tissue remodeling such as epithelial contraction, tissue spreading or folding during development. Here, I will present recent works at multiple scales. I will introduce novel image analysis methods for super-resolution data and experimental approaches to measure mechanics of tissues in vivo. I will then show our current understanding on how tissue mechanics is controlled and cellular forces are generated to promote the sealing of epithelial tissues, encompassing the control of cell-cell junctional length, the consequent epithelial remodeling and regulation of sealing leading to a scar-free tissue. I will eventually discuss recent multidisciplinary approaches developed in the lab to address new arising questions in the biophysics of multicellular systems.