Boundary geometry controls a topological defect transition that determines lumen nucleation in embryonic development

Fuente: arXiv
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Auteurs principaux: Guruciaga, Pamela C., Ichikawa, Takafumi, Plunder, Steffen, Hiiragi, Takashi, Erzberger, Anna
Format: Preprint
Publié: 2024
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author Guruciaga, Pamela C.
Ichikawa, Takafumi
Plunder, Steffen
Hiiragi, Takashi
Erzberger, Anna
author_facet Guruciaga, Pamela C.
Ichikawa, Takafumi
Plunder, Steffen
Hiiragi, Takashi
Erzberger, Anna
contents Topological defects determine the collective properties of anisotropic materials. How their configurations are controlled is not well understood however, especially in 3D. In living matter moreover, 2D defects have been linked to biological functions, but the role of 3D polar defects is unclear. Combining computational and experimental approaches, we investigate how confinement geometry controls surface-aligned polar fluids, and what biological role 3D polar defects play in tissues interacting with extracellular boundaries. We discover a charge-preserving transition between 3D defect configurations driven by boundary geometry and independent of material parameters, and show that defect positions predict the locations where fluid-filled lumina -- structures essential for development -- form within the confined polar tissue of the mouse embryo. Experimentally perturbing embryo shape beyond the transition point, we moreover create additional lumina at predicted defect locations. Our work reveals how boundary geometry controls polar defects, and how embryos use this mechanism for shape-dependent lumen formation. We expect this defect control principle to apply broadly to systems with orientational order.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2403_08710
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Boundary geometry controls a topological defect transition that determines lumen nucleation in embryonic development
Guruciaga, Pamela C.
Ichikawa, Takafumi
Plunder, Steffen
Hiiragi, Takashi
Erzberger, Anna
Soft Condensed Matter
Biological Physics
Topological defects determine the collective properties of anisotropic materials. How their configurations are controlled is not well understood however, especially in 3D. In living matter moreover, 2D defects have been linked to biological functions, but the role of 3D polar defects is unclear. Combining computational and experimental approaches, we investigate how confinement geometry controls surface-aligned polar fluids, and what biological role 3D polar defects play in tissues interacting with extracellular boundaries. We discover a charge-preserving transition between 3D defect configurations driven by boundary geometry and independent of material parameters, and show that defect positions predict the locations where fluid-filled lumina -- structures essential for development -- form within the confined polar tissue of the mouse embryo. Experimentally perturbing embryo shape beyond the transition point, we moreover create additional lumina at predicted defect locations. Our work reveals how boundary geometry controls polar defects, and how embryos use this mechanism for shape-dependent lumen formation. We expect this defect control principle to apply broadly to systems with orientational order.
title Boundary geometry controls a topological defect transition that determines lumen nucleation in embryonic development
topic Soft Condensed Matter
Biological Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.08710