Fluid flows and forces in development: functions, features and biophysical principles
- Authors
- Freund, J.B., Goetz, J.G., Hill, K.L., and Vermot, J.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-120730-9
- Date
- 2012
- Source
- Development (Cambridge, England) 139(7): 1229-1245 (Review)
- Registered Authors
- Vermot, Julien
- Keywords
- valvulogenesis, hematopoiesis, angiogenesis, cilia, left-right organizer, stokes flow, Navier-Stokes equations, cardiovascular development, mechanodetection
- MeSH Terms
-
- Animals
- Biomechanical Phenomena
- Biophysics/methods*
- Cilia/physiology
- Developmental Biology/methods*
- Endothelial Cells/cytology
- Humans
- Models, Biological
- Morphogenesis
- Signal Transduction
- Stress, Mechanical
- Tensile Strength
- Zebrafish
- PubMed
- 22395739 Full text @ Development
Throughout morphogenesis, cells experience intracellular tensile and contractile forces on microscopic scales. Cells also experience extracellular forces, such as static forces mediated by the extracellular matrix and forces resulting from microscopic fluid flow. Although the biological ramifications of static forces have received much attention, little is known about the roles of fluid flows and forces during embryogenesis. Here, we focus on the microfluidic forces generated by cilia-driven fluid flow and heart-driven hemodynamics, as well as on the signaling pathways involved in flow sensing. We discuss recent studies that describe the functions and the biomechanical features of these fluid flows. These insights suggest that biological flow determines many aspects of cell behavior and identity through a specific set of physical stimuli and signaling pathways.