Department of Mathematics
 Search | Help | Login | pdf version | printable version

Math @ Duke





.......................

.......................


Publications [#243689] of Anita T. Layton

Papers Published

  1. Layton, AT; Toyama, Y; Yang, G-Q; Edwards, GS; Kiehart, DP; Venakides, S, Drosophila morphogenesis: tissue force laws and the modeling of dorsal closure., Hfsp Journal, vol. 3 no. 6 (December, 2009), pp. 441-460 [20514134], [doi]
    (last updated on 2020/07/05)

    Abstract:
    Dorsal closure, a stage of Drosophila development, is a model system for cell sheet morphogenesis and wound healing. During closure, two flanks of epidermal tissue progressively advance to reduce the area of the eye-shaped opening in the dorsal surface, which contains amnioserosa tissue. To simulate the time evolution of the overall shape of the dorsal opening, we developed a mathematical model, in which contractility and elasticity are manifest in model force-producing elements that satisfy force-velocity relationships similar to muscle. The action of the elements is consistent with the force-producing behavior of actin and myosin in cells. The parameters that characterize the simulated embryos were optimized by reference to experimental observations on wild-type embryos and, to a lesser extent, on embryos whose amnioserosa was removed by laser surgery and on myospheroid mutant embryos. Simulations failed to reproduce the amnioserosa-removal protocol in either the elastic or the contractile limit, indicating that both elastic and contractile dynamics are essential components of the biological force-producing elements. We found it was necessary to actively upregulate forces to recapitulate both the double and single-canthus nick protocols, which did not participate in the optimization of parameters, suggesting the existence of additional key feedback mechanisms.

 

dept@math.duke.edu
ph: 919.660.2800
fax: 919.660.2821

Mathematics Department
Duke University, Box 90320
Durham, NC 27708-0320