Remodel Organism: Tissue Origami in a Fruit Fly Embryo

Remodel Organism: Tissue Origami in a Fruit Fly Embryo

Collections: Now On Display, Image Award Winners

2023 Award Winner

Mary Ann Collins, Adam Martin

MIT Department of Biology

As an organism transforms from a simple collection of cells into a complex system of life, the developing tissue undergoes extensive remodeling. The Martin Lab uses fruit fly embryos to study the impact of mechanical forces on cell behavior.

On the left, nuclei in gray are linked by new cell junctures, marked in orange. The view on the right maps cell boundaries with randomly assigned colors to track them as they evolve. At center, a newly-formed structure fold pulls the two sides inward. Collectively, these perspectives paint a dynamic picture of a cellular community working together to shape the organism.

 

the image is split down the middle with an orange line between the two sides. On the left, linked grey cells on the left and orange between them, and on the right, a colorful pattern of irregular hexagons loosely mirroring the cells on the left.

Video

Mary Ann Collins presents on her image.