Divergent evolutionary strategies pre-empt tissue collision in gastrulation - Nature Flies have evolved two distinct strategies for managing mechanical stresses during embryogenesis: out-of-plane cell division in midges and transient out-of-plane tissue folding in fruit flies.

🪰Yu-Chiun Wang’s team & Univ. of Hohenheim group discovered how fly embryos solve the “tissue tectonic collision” that occurs in morphogenetic movements between tissues and why the #cephalicfurrow evolved, a longstanding mystery to developmental biologists.
In @nature.com
doi.org/10.1038/s415...

Final thanks to reviewers @amartinezarias.bsky.social @thibautbrunet.bsky.social & Cassandra Extavour and the editor @endofthepier.bsky.social. Quest for the mysteries of #cephalicfurrow and #Evolution_of_Morphogenesis continues (9/9)

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With storytelling spirit, #cephalicfurrow is a bit of a personal obsession for nearly 20 yrs. Got me Helen Hay Whitney for my time with Eric Wieschaus and yet failed me completely, until Steffen came to the rescue figuring out its motor (tinyurl.com/3axmm2mm) with help of @hfspo.bsky.social (7/9)

In Steffen's lab, @girishkalephd.bsky.social and Verena went out of their way to heroically sample much expanded range of fly phylogeny. #cephalicfurrow and lack there of split neatly along the divide of cyclorrhapha/non-cyclorrhapha. (4/9)

#cephalicfurrow forms and retracts to prevent tissue collision. Blocking it optogenetically not only causes buckling during #gastrulation, it also causes specific defects several hours after normal timeframe of retraction. More mysteries yet to be solved! (3/9)

Tissue 'tectonic' collision is detrimental, but flies found two distinct solutions! Gratifying and grateful to be included in this collective effort, w/ Steffen Lemke, to crack the (or 'a') code of #cephalicfurrow, now out in @nature.com, all with @paveltomancak.bsky.social at the helm. (1/9)

Paper celebrations. Or rather papers celebration. 🎉 Inclusive. #Hydra #CephalicFurrow @mpi-cbg.de #LoPaTs