Summary of the science
Morphogenesis refers to the biological processes during embryological development that determine the shape and structure of organisms, and their organs, and organ systems. Cells and tissues become specialised to perform specific functions and are distributed throughout the body, according to their genetic ‘blueprint’ and environmental conditions. To understand how living systems are formed and how they develop their unique structure, Professor Stephan Grill and his colleagues use a physics approach to answer their questions. They study everything from tiny molecules to larger tissues and focus on how chemicals and mechanics work together to create patterns in living matter. They investigate how these so-called ‘morphogenetic’ forces are generated in molecules, surfaces, and volumes, and how these forces are controlled by upstream signals and cues.
About the research
The Stephen Grill group investigates the mechanisms that are involved in determining structure and form in living organisms on a molecular and tissue level, using a combination of physics, mechanics and chemistry to answer their questions. At the smallest scale, they look at how chemical energy in the form of ATP is used to drive active processes that can organise the inside of a cell. At larger scales of cells and tissues, they study how living matter can structure itself into any shape and form by looking at different ‘morphogenetic’ forces. For example, active surface tension generated by the outer layer of animal cells can lead to changes in cell shape, while active pressure, such as pressure caused by water entering the cell via osmosis, can reshape even entire embryos!
About the illustration
We wanted to emphasise the idea that these morphogenetic forces play an important role in changing the shape and structure of cells. The yellow and white lines represent these forces and are shown in different conformations relative to the structure of the cell to highlight this relationship. To add more depth to the background, we added silhouettes of cells changing shape and dividing.