BNMC seminar:  Quantitative imaging embryonic morphogenesis: left-right symmetry breaking and collective cell migration

Willy Supatto
Postdoctoral Scholar
Department of Biology

An embryo is shaped by a fascinating and highly regulated choreography of morphogenetic events. The combination of (i) live microscopy, (ii) image analysis, and (iii) optical manipulation provides unique experimental approaches to study these processes in vivo.

(i) We show how multiphoton microscopy is adapted for the 4D, long-term, deep-tissue imaging of scattering embryos in a manner that does not compromise their viability.  (ii) The 3D-cell tracking of large cell populations and the computational analysis of their trajectories allow to investigate complex morphogenetic events and mutant phenotypes. (iii) Optical manipulation using femtosecond laser ablation provides a minimally invasive tool to disrupt or probe tissue morphogenesis. Finally, we illustrate these quantitative imaging approaches by studying left-right symmetry breaking in early zebrafish embryos and collective cell migration during Drosophila gastrulation.