PROJECT B13
Mechanochemical Coordination of Tissue Patterning and Cellular Dynamics
Morphogenesis and cell fate are orchestrated via biochemical and mechanical signals. Extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK) integrates these signals to drive cellular outcomes including proliferation, migration, and differentiation to build tissue complexity. How this multifactorial communication is decoded into ERK activity patterns that result in specific, correctly timed and positioned cellular behaviors remains unclear. Here we utilize live imaging, optogenetic tools, as well as mechanical measurements and manipulation to define how these signals are integrated in the context of skin morphogenesis at the single cell and tissue levels.
