| Cells in the Drosophila eye develop distinct and highly ordered packing geometries as they differentiate. Our lab has modeled packing of cone cells in the eye epithelium as free (unfixed) soap bubble aggregates. Although surface energy minimization is at the root of this model, are the mechanisms that generate the different patterns using fundamentally similar rules applied in modified ways? We combine biological experimentation with physical modeling to understand how physical interactions within this epithelium generate distinct cell packing patterns. The elements contributing to cell surface energy are complex; intercellular adhesion, cortical contractility and outward pushing forces must all be considered, and may act asymmetrically within cells. Combining genetic approaches with imaging measurement of epithelia, we analyze the nature of different forces that act in retinal epithelia. |
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