Mao Lab
Tissue mechanics
In the Mao lab we are interested in understanding how tissues achieve their correct size, shape and complex three-dimensional architecture, both during normal development, and during regenerative growth. The genetic and biochemical control of tissue growth and regeneration has been extensively studied over the last century, but it is still unclear how the physical and mechanical properties of cells and tissues contribute to how organs are formed and sculpted. What is clear is that in order to change the three-dimensional architecture of any structure, there must be forces, external and/or internal, acting on the system. We use an interdisciplinary approach, combining Drosophila genetics, live imaging, automated image analysis, experimental biophysics, engineering and computational modeling, to understand the importance of mechanical forces in controlling tissue growth and regeneration and how these forces influence gene expression and signaling pathways.
Yanlan Mao (PI)
Samantha Warrington (Lab manager, Research Associate)
Nargess Khalilgharibi (Research Associate)
Giulia Paci (Research Associate)
Pablo Vicente Munuera (Research Associate)
Ricardo Barrientos (Research Associate)
Alessandra Gentile (Research Associate, joint with Katie Long, KCL)
Alejandra Guzman-Herrera (PhD student)
Shu En Lim (PhD student)
Veronika Lachina (PhD student)
Cytoskeleton and cell cortex
Polarity and cell shape
Signalling pathways
Cell-cell interactions
Physics of biological systems
Tissue growth and morphogenesis
Tissue repair and regeneration
Light microscopy
Electron microscopy
Computational modeling
Super-resolution microscopy
Selected publications
Kirkland NJ, et al (2020). Tissue Mechanics Regulate Mitotic Nuclear Dynamics during Epithelial Development. Current Biology (PMID:32413305)
Tozluoǧlu M, et al (2019). Planar Differential Growth Rates Initiate Precise Fold Positions in Complex Epithelia. Dev Cell (PMID:31607650)
Guzmán-Herrera A & Mao Y (2019). Polarity during tissue repair, a multiscale problem. Curr Opin Cell Biol (PMID:31514044)
Vicente-Munuera P et al (2019). EpiGraph: an open-source platform to quantify epithelial organization. Bioinformatics (PMID:31544932)
Tetley R, et al (2019). Tissue fluidity promotes epithelial wound healing. Nature Physics. doi.org/10.1038/s41567-019-0618-1
Duda M, et al (2019). Polarization of Myosin II Refines Tissue Material Properties to Buffer Mechanical Stress. Dev Cell, Jan 28;48(2):245-260.e7. doi: 10.1016/j.devcel.2018.12.020.