Tracking intracellular forces and mechanical property changes in mouse one-cell embryo development

Authors: M. Duch, N. Torras, M. Asami, T. Suzuki, M.I. Arjona, R. Gómez-Martínez, M.D. VerMilyea, R. Castilla, JA Plaza, A.C.F. Perry

Title: Tracking intracellular forces and mechanical property changes in mouse one-cell embryo development

Authors: M. Duch, N. Torras, M. Asami, T. Suzuki, M.I. Arjona, R. Gómez-Martínez, M.D. VerMilyea, R. Castilla, JA Plaza, A.C.F. Perry

Objective: Cells comprise mechanically active matter that governs their functionality, but intracellular mechanics are difficult to study directly and are poorly understood. Injected nanodevices open up opportunities to analyze intracellular mechanobiology. This study identifies a program of forces and changes to the cytoplasmic mechanical properties required for mouse embryo development from fertilization to the first cell division.

Published: Nature Materials, May 25, 2020

Why This Research Helps Patients:

The results suggest that intracellular forces are part of a concerted program that is necessary for development at the origin of a new embryonic life. Collectively, these findings are consistent with fundamental roles for intracellular forces and cytoplasmic mechanical dynamics in early mammalian development. The authors anticipate that the work will open a window onto intracellular physics and provide complementary information to existing techniques for mechanobiology.