Published in Nature Methods the new methodology integrates image-based spatial transcriptomics, which maps gene expression at single-cell resolution, with computational inference of the mechanical forces acting on individual cells across the the tissue. This allows the researchers to identify connections between the molecular programs controlling cell fate and the physical forces shaping tissues.
Lead researcher Adrien Hallou, Group Leader in Tissue Biology at the Kennedy Institute, said: ‘Spatial profiling technologies provide insights into how molecular programs are influenced by local signalling and environmental cues. However, cell fate specification and tissue patterning involve the interplay of biochemical and mechanical feedback. Therefore, to test for associations between them new methods were needed.
‘Our approach provides a window into the reciprocal relationship between gene regulation and mechanics in tissues, and by considering these factors together, we can gain a more holistic understanding of the mechanisms driving tissue morphogenesis during development, tissue maintenance at homeostasis or tissue architecture and function dysregulation in diseases.
Read the full story on the Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences website.