Three-Dimensional Multilayered Epithelial Morphodynamics

How the organismal morphology is specified, maintained, and evolving is an intriguing open question of developmental biology and biophysics. In this proposal, I aim to unravel the physical mechanisms underlying the three-dimensional (3D) morphodynamics of epithelium. Drosophila wing disc is a good model organism for this problem because it undergoes complex 3D morphogenetic processes from larval to pupal stage which are highly related to gene expression, hormone level, cell active behaviors, and mechanical forces. The correct sequential folding, unfolding, and eversion of wing disc have been observed as exquisite and elaborated processes while the underlying physical mechanism is still unclear. We will establish a biomechanical theoretical framework with a novel hybrid vertex-continuum model, and develop advanced numerical simulation methods to mimic wing disc three-dimensional morphodynamics. A morphometric analysis method and statistical quantifications will be developed and applied, for the first time, to quantitatively compare the simulation and experiments performed by my collaborators.