Pub Date : 2025-09-29DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2025.103656
Sanjeev S. Ranade
Congenital heart defects (CHD) are present in nearly 1 % of live births and are a leading cause of infant mortality. Despite advances in genome sequencing technologies and an increased understanding of the genes necessary for heart development, the etiology of a majority of CHD cases remains undefined. Recent breakthroughs in single-cell genomics, lineage tracing, and live imaging in animal models of cardiogenesis have revealed the precise spatiotemporal dynamics of discrete cell types in heart development. Here, I review how these findings have informed the development of new human pluripotent stem cell methods to generate a diverse range of cells in cardiogenesis. A key unifying theme is that multipotent cardiac progenitor cells are extraordinarily responsive to slight changes to signaling factors administered at various stages of cardiac differentiation. I highlight how the ability to make a range of cardiac cell types can be used to define context specific mechanisms of CHD. I then describe how in vitro human models of cardiogenesis are especially important in cases of severe forms of CHD, such as single ventricle disorders, for which the complex genetic underlying mechanisms are poorly defined and animal models are lacking.
{"title":"In vitro modeling of cell types in cardiogenesis and congenital heart disease","authors":"Sanjeev S. Ranade","doi":"10.1016/j.semcdb.2025.103656","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.semcdb.2025.103656","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Congenital heart defects (CHD) are present in nearly 1 % of live births and are a leading cause of infant mortality. Despite advances in genome sequencing technologies and an increased understanding of the genes necessary for heart development, the etiology of a majority of CHD cases remains undefined. Recent breakthroughs in single-cell genomics, lineage tracing, and live imaging in animal models of cardiogenesis have revealed the precise spatiotemporal dynamics of discrete cell types in heart development. Here, I review how these findings have informed the development of new human pluripotent stem cell methods to generate a diverse range of cells in cardiogenesis. A key unifying theme is that multipotent cardiac progenitor cells are extraordinarily responsive to slight changes to signaling factors administered at various stages of cardiac differentiation. I highlight how the ability to make a range of cardiac cell types can be used to define context specific mechanisms of CHD. I then describe how <em>in vitro</em> human models of cardiogenesis are especially important in cases of severe forms of CHD, such as single ventricle disorders, for which the complex genetic underlying mechanisms are poorly defined and animal models are lacking.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21735,"journal":{"name":"Seminars in cell & developmental biology","volume":"175 ","pages":"Article 103656"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145200934","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-27DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2025.103655
Yicheng Dong , Spandan Maiti , Lance A. Davidson
Viscoelasticity is a fundamental feature of biological tissues and plays a vital role in cells and tissues. This review explores the role of viscoelasticity in mechanobiology, emphasizing its impact on morphogenesis and organogenesis during embryonic development. We discuss the viscoelastic behavior of cells and tissues and its role in how cells and tissues absorb, dissipate, and transmit mechanical energy. We summarize experimental techniques such as Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Micropipette Aspiration (MA), and Tissue Stretchers, that have been used to quantify or observe the effects of viscoelasticity. Mathematical models of viscoelasticity, such as the Standard Linear Solid (SLS) model and advanced fractional models are introduced and discussed for their ability to capture the complexity of the viscoelastic behavior of biological systems. The role of subcellular complexes, including the cytoskeleton, extracellular matrix, and nucleus, are also reviewed for their contributions to tissue viscoelastic behavior. We also identify and discuss knowledge gaps, particularly in understanding how dynamic mechanical cues influence viscoelastic responses across cellular and tissue scales. A deeper exploration of these mechanisms, particularly those that determine viscoelastic behavior of cells and tissues, is needed for advancing our understanding of embryonic development and tissue morphogenesis.
{"title":"Viscoelasticity during development: What is it? and why should you care?","authors":"Yicheng Dong , Spandan Maiti , Lance A. Davidson","doi":"10.1016/j.semcdb.2025.103655","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.semcdb.2025.103655","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Viscoelasticity is a fundamental feature of biological tissues and plays a vital role in cells and tissues. This review explores the role of viscoelasticity in mechanobiology, emphasizing its impact on morphogenesis and organogenesis during embryonic development. We discuss the viscoelastic behavior of cells and tissues and its role in how cells and tissues absorb, dissipate, and transmit mechanical energy. We summarize experimental techniques such as Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Micropipette Aspiration (MA), and Tissue Stretchers, that have been used to quantify or observe the effects of viscoelasticity. Mathematical models of viscoelasticity, such as the Standard Linear Solid (SLS) model and advanced fractional models are introduced and discussed for their ability to capture the complexity of the viscoelastic behavior of biological systems. The role of subcellular complexes, including the cytoskeleton, extracellular matrix, and nucleus, are also reviewed for their contributions to tissue viscoelastic behavior. We also identify and discuss knowledge gaps, particularly in understanding how dynamic mechanical cues influence viscoelastic responses across cellular and tissue scales. A deeper exploration of these mechanisms, particularly those that determine viscoelastic behavior of cells and tissues, is needed for advancing our understanding of embryonic development and tissue morphogenesis.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21735,"journal":{"name":"Seminars in cell & developmental biology","volume":"175 ","pages":"Article 103655"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145157801","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-26DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2025.103654
James DiFrisco, Rashmi Priya
Recent years have seen the growth of work illuminating the mechanical aspects of morphogenesis, but its relationship to the established ideas and evidence of developmental and evolutionary genetics remains enigmatic. This review aims to re-assess the conceptual relationship between mechanics and genetics in the context of animal morphogenesis. We propose a view in which genetic programs—understood as gene regulatory networks—and processes of physical self-organization are not conflicting models of development, but instead play necessary and complementary causal roles at cellular and supra-cellular length scales, respectively. Current evidence from evolutionary genetics supports the hypothesis that this form of complementarity may be necessary for morphogenesis to be evolvable.
{"title":"The interplay of tissue mechanics and gene regulatory networks in the evolution of morphogenesis","authors":"James DiFrisco, Rashmi Priya","doi":"10.1016/j.semcdb.2025.103654","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.semcdb.2025.103654","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Recent years have seen the growth of work illuminating the mechanical aspects of morphogenesis, but its relationship to the established ideas and evidence of developmental and evolutionary genetics remains enigmatic. This review aims to re-assess the conceptual relationship between mechanics and genetics in the context of animal morphogenesis. We propose a view in which genetic programs—understood as gene regulatory networks—and processes of physical self-organization are not conflicting models of development, but instead play necessary and complementary causal roles at cellular and supra-cellular length scales, respectively. Current evidence from evolutionary genetics supports the hypothesis that this form of complementarity may be necessary for morphogenesis to be evolvable.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21735,"journal":{"name":"Seminars in cell & developmental biology","volume":"175 ","pages":"Article 103654"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145157802","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cilia are highly conserved, microtubule-based, hair-like organelles that project from the surface of most eukaryotic cells. They perform essential functions in signal transduction, cellular motility, and the regulation of fluid flow within tissues. Foundational insights into ciliary biology have largely been derived from invertebrate models such as Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Caenorhabditis elegans, which each possess a relatively uniform cilium type. In contrast, vertebrates display remarkable diversity in ciliary subtypes, with distinct structures and functions tailored to specific tissues. This diversity underlies the broad physiological importance of cilia, and it also explains why defects in ciliary assembly or function result in a wide spectrum of human genetic disorders collectively known as ciliopathies. As a result, vertebrate models have become indispensable for uncovering the roles of cilia in both normal development and disease pathogenesis. Among them, zebrafish has emerged as a particularly versatile and powerful model system. Its unique experimental advantages—including optical transparency during embryogenesis, external fertilization, high fecundity, and compatibility with large-scale genetic and pharmacological screening—make it ideally suited for studying ciliary biology in vivo. In this review, we summarize recent advances in our understanding of ciliary function using zebrafish, with particular emphasis on studies of ciliopathy-associated genes and newly uncovered roles of cilia in processes such as spinal development and meiosis. Finally, we discuss current challenges and outline future research directions, highlighting how zebrafish will continue to drive discoveries in cilia biology and ciliopathy research.
{"title":"Zebrafish as a model system for studying cilia biology and ciliopathies","authors":"Mengfan Wu , Jiongchen Lin , Chengjie Yu , Chengtian Zhao , Haibo Xie","doi":"10.1016/j.semcdb.2025.103652","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.semcdb.2025.103652","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cilia are highly conserved, microtubule-based, hair-like organelles that project from the surface of most eukaryotic cells. They perform essential functions in signal transduction, cellular motility, and the regulation of fluid flow within tissues. Foundational insights into ciliary biology have largely been derived from invertebrate models such as <em>Chlamydomonas reinhardtii</em> and <em>Caenorhabditis elegans</em>, which each possess a relatively uniform cilium type. In contrast, vertebrates display remarkable diversity in ciliary subtypes, with distinct structures and functions tailored to specific tissues. This diversity underlies the broad physiological importance of cilia, and it also explains why defects in ciliary assembly or function result in a wide spectrum of human genetic disorders collectively known as ciliopathies. As a result, vertebrate models have become indispensable for uncovering the roles of cilia in both normal development and disease pathogenesis. Among them, zebrafish has emerged as a particularly versatile and powerful model system. Its unique experimental advantages—including optical transparency during embryogenesis, external fertilization, high fecundity, and compatibility with large-scale genetic and pharmacological screening—make it ideally suited for studying ciliary biology in vivo. In this review, we summarize recent advances in our understanding of ciliary function using zebrafish, with particular emphasis on studies of ciliopathy-associated genes and newly uncovered roles of cilia in processes such as spinal development and meiosis. Finally, we discuss current challenges and outline future research directions, highlighting how zebrafish will continue to drive discoveries in cilia biology and ciliopathy research.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21735,"journal":{"name":"Seminars in cell & developmental biology","volume":"175 ","pages":"Article 103652"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145157803","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-18DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2025.103653
Yusuke Watanabe, Kazu Kikuchi
Unlike mammals, certain non-mammalian species — such as amphibians and teleost fish — can regenerate their hearts after severe damage. Investigating non-mammalian heart regeneration could provide strategies to reactivate regenerative mechanisms in adult human hearts, potentially reducing morbidity and mortality related to heart failure. This review offers an overview of key findings from earlier studies using amphibian models and highlights recent advances from teleost fish, with a particular focus on signaling pathways, enhancers, and transcription factors that regulate the endogenous mechanisms of cardiac regeneration.
{"title":"Lessons for cardiac regeneration from non-mammalian model organisms","authors":"Yusuke Watanabe, Kazu Kikuchi","doi":"10.1016/j.semcdb.2025.103653","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.semcdb.2025.103653","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Unlike mammals, certain non-mammalian species — such as amphibians and teleost fish — can regenerate their hearts after severe damage. Investigating non-mammalian heart regeneration could provide strategies to reactivate regenerative mechanisms in adult human hearts, potentially reducing morbidity and mortality related to heart failure. This review offers an overview of key findings from earlier studies using amphibian models and highlights recent advances from teleost fish, with a particular focus on signaling pathways, enhancers, and transcription factors that regulate the endogenous mechanisms of cardiac regeneration.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21735,"journal":{"name":"Seminars in cell & developmental biology","volume":"175 ","pages":"Article 103653"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145092371","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-18DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2025.103658
Xuecheng Li , Qingqing Liu , Junmin Pan
Chlamydomonas is a haploid, unicellular green alga that serves as an excellent model system for studying ciliary biology. It possesses two motile cilia of equal length, making it ideal for investigating both ciliogenesis and ciliary motility, as well as cilia-based signaling. The organism's ease of cultivation, the simplicity of cilia isolation, and the availability of well-established experimental systems for rapid and synchronous cilia regeneration and disassembly contribute to its utility in laboratory research. Furthermore, Chlamydomonas is highly amenable to a variety of genetic approaches, enhancing its value as a model organism. Due to the high degree of conservation in the core mechanisms governing ciliary structure and function, discoveries made in Chlamydomonas have significantly advanced our understanding of cilia across species and have provided important insights into cilia-related human disorders. In this overview, we summarize the key cellular features, life cycle stages, ciliary architecture and dynamics, ciliary behavior, biochemical and genetic advantages of Chlamydomonas as a model organism. Our goal is to provide a foundational perspective for those new to ciliary research in Chlamydomonas - including early-career scientists, experienced researchers transitioning from other fields, and cilia experts working with alternative model systems.
{"title":"Chlamydomonas as a model system for the study of cilia and eukaryotic flagella","authors":"Xuecheng Li , Qingqing Liu , Junmin Pan","doi":"10.1016/j.semcdb.2025.103658","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.semcdb.2025.103658","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Chlamydomonas</em> is a haploid, unicellular green alga that serves as an excellent model system for studying ciliary biology. It possesses two motile cilia of equal length, making it ideal for investigating both ciliogenesis and ciliary motility, as well as cilia-based signaling. The organism's ease of cultivation, the simplicity of cilia isolation, and the availability of well-established experimental systems for rapid and synchronous cilia regeneration and disassembly contribute to its utility in laboratory research. Furthermore, <em>Chlamydomonas</em> is highly amenable to a variety of genetic approaches, enhancing its value as a model organism. Due to the high degree of conservation in the core mechanisms governing ciliary structure and function, discoveries made in <em>Chlamydomonas</em> have significantly advanced our understanding of cilia across species and have provided important insights into cilia-related human disorders. In this overview, we summarize the key cellular features, life cycle stages, ciliary architecture and dynamics, ciliary behavior, biochemical and genetic advantages of <em>Chlamydomonas</em> as a model organism. Our goal is to provide a foundational perspective for those new to ciliary research in <em>Chlamydomonas</em> - including early-career scientists, experienced researchers transitioning from other fields, and cilia experts working with alternative model systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21735,"journal":{"name":"Seminars in cell & developmental biology","volume":"175 ","pages":"Article 103658"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145092394","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-06DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2025.103651
Xueliang Zhu
Cilia are membrane-covered hair-like organelles built on specialized centrioles and conserved throughout eukaryotic evolution. They are either motile or immotile, serving respectively as versatile signaling antennae or elegant beating nanomachines. Accordingly, their dysfunctions cause a wide variety of developmental and degenerative disorders, which in human are syndromes termed ciliopathies. Motile cilia in mammals reside in epithelial cells. Their rapid, rhythmic beating facilitates reproduction, left-right patterning, and organ homeostasis by propelling directional gamete transport, nodal flow, cerebrospinal fluid circulation, and mucus clearance. They merge mostly as multicilia, with up to hundreds per cell. Multiciliated cells need not only to break the tight cellular control on centriole biogenesis and ensure accurate assemblies of numerous structural components for their formations, but to properly organize and polarize them for their functions as well. This review mainly focuses on the cell biology of mammalian motile cilia, with the mouse as the model organism.
{"title":"Mammalian motile cilia: Structure, formation, organization, and function","authors":"Xueliang Zhu","doi":"10.1016/j.semcdb.2025.103651","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.semcdb.2025.103651","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cilia are membrane-covered hair-like organelles built on specialized centrioles and conserved throughout eukaryotic evolution. They are either motile or immotile, serving respectively as versatile signaling antennae or elegant beating nanomachines. Accordingly, their dysfunctions cause a wide variety of developmental and degenerative disorders, which in human are syndromes termed ciliopathies. Motile cilia in mammals reside in epithelial cells. Their rapid, rhythmic beating facilitates reproduction, left-right patterning, and organ homeostasis by propelling directional gamete transport, nodal flow, cerebrospinal fluid circulation, and mucus clearance. They merge mostly as multicilia, with up to hundreds per cell. Multiciliated cells need not only to break the tight cellular control on centriole biogenesis and ensure accurate assemblies of numerous structural components for their formations, but to properly organize and polarize them for their functions as well. This review mainly focuses on the cell biology of mammalian motile cilia, with the mouse as the model organism.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21735,"journal":{"name":"Seminars in cell & developmental biology","volume":"175 ","pages":"Article 103651"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145004128","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-05DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2025.103650
Laura Hofmann, Carl-Philipp Heisenberg
Oogenesis – the formation and development of an oocyte – is fundamental to reproduction and embryonic development. Due to its accessibility to genetic manipulations and the ability to culture and experimentally manipulate oocytes ex vivo, zebrafish has emerged as a powerful vertebrate model system for studying oogenesis. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of zebrafish oogenesis, from early germ cell formation to oocyte maturation and fertilization. We discuss recent advances in uncovering the molecular and cellular mechanisms driving this complex process and highlight key knowledge gaps that remain to be addressed.
{"title":"Decoding zebrafish oogenesis: From primordial germ cell development to fertilization","authors":"Laura Hofmann, Carl-Philipp Heisenberg","doi":"10.1016/j.semcdb.2025.103650","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.semcdb.2025.103650","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Oogenesis – the formation and development of an oocyte – is fundamental to reproduction and embryonic development. Due to its accessibility to genetic manipulations and the ability to culture and experimentally manipulate oocytes <em>ex vivo,</em> zebrafish has emerged as a powerful vertebrate model system for studying oogenesis. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of zebrafish oogenesis, from early germ cell formation to oocyte maturation and fertilization. We discuss recent advances in uncovering the molecular and cellular mechanisms driving this complex process and highlight key knowledge gaps that remain to be addressed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21735,"journal":{"name":"Seminars in cell & developmental biology","volume":"175 ","pages":"Article 103650"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145004129","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-01DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2025.103646
Rob Phillips
Is a herd of wildebeest better thought of as a series of individual animals, each with its own glorious and unmanageable volition, or as a field of moving arrows? Are the morphogen gradients that set up the coordinate systems for embryonic anterior–posterior patterning a smooth and continuous concentration field or instead a chaotic collection of protein molecules each jiggling about in the haphazard way first described by Robert Brown in his microscopical observations of pollen? Is water, the great liquid ether of the living world, a collection of discrete molecules or instead a perfectly continuous medium with a density of 1000 kg/m? In this article, I will argue that these questions pose a false dichotomy since there are many different and powerful representations of the world around us. Different representations suit us differently at different times and it is often useful to be able to hold these seemingly contradictory notions in our heads simultaneously. Indeed, mathematics is not only the language of representation, but often is also the engine of reconciliation of such disparate views. In a letter to Alfred Russel Wallace on 14 April 1869, Charles Darwin noted that Lord Kelvin’s “views on the recent age of the world have been for some time one of my sorest troubles”. Here, I will argue that one of the highest attainments of the scientific enterprise is a coherent picture of the world, a picture in which our stories about the geological age of the Earth are coherent with our stories of how whales populated the oceans, our understanding of the living jibes with our understanding of the inanimate, our insights into the dynamics of genes and molecular structures are consonant with our physical understanding of the laws of statistical physics. The underpinnings of such coherency are often best revealed when viewed through the lens of mathematics.
{"title":"Approximating the living","authors":"Rob Phillips","doi":"10.1016/j.semcdb.2025.103646","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.semcdb.2025.103646","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Is a herd of wildebeest better thought of as a series of individual animals, each with its own glorious and unmanageable volition, or as a field of moving arrows? Are the morphogen gradients that set up the coordinate systems for embryonic anterior–posterior patterning a smooth and continuous concentration field or instead a chaotic collection of protein molecules each jiggling about in the haphazard way first described by Robert Brown in his microscopical observations of pollen? Is water, the great liquid ether of the living world, a collection of discrete molecules or instead a perfectly continuous medium with a density of <span><math><mo>≈</mo></math></span>1000 kg/m<span><math><msup><mrow></mrow><mrow><mn>3</mn></mrow></msup></math></span>? In this article, I will argue that these questions pose a false dichotomy since there are many different and powerful representations of the world around us. Different representations suit us differently at different times and it is often useful to be able to hold these seemingly contradictory notions in our heads simultaneously. Indeed, mathematics is not only the language of representation, but often is also the engine of reconciliation of such disparate views. In a letter to Alfred Russel Wallace on 14 April 1869, Charles Darwin noted that Lord Kelvin’s “views on the recent age of the world have been for some time one of my sorest troubles”. Here, I will argue that one of the highest attainments of the scientific enterprise is a coherent picture of the world, a picture in which our stories about the geological age of the Earth are coherent with our stories of how whales populated the oceans, our understanding of the living jibes with our understanding of the inanimate, our insights into the dynamics of genes and molecular structures are consonant with our physical understanding of the laws of statistical physics. The underpinnings of such coherency are often best revealed when viewed through the lens of mathematics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21735,"journal":{"name":"Seminars in cell & developmental biology","volume":"175 ","pages":"Article 103646"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144922768","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-08-30DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2025.103649
Sara Pietroforte, Farners Amargant
Folliculogenesis, which is the process by which ovarian follicles develop to support oogenesis and hormone production, is essential for female fertility. Although hormonal and biochemical signaling pathways regulating folliculogenesis have been extensively studied, increasing evidence suggests that mechanical cues within the ovary also play a critical role. The ovary is composed of follicles, corpora lutea, and stroma, each contributing to a biomechanical microenvironment that might change across the reproductive lifespan. Additionally, the spatial organization of the ovary, with a collagen-rich cortex and a softer medulla, may influence follicle activation and growth. This review explores the hypothesis that mechanical properties of the ovary regulate folliculogenesis, integrating current knowledge on ovarian architecture, extracellular matrix composition, and mechanotransduction pathways. We highlight recent findings supporting mechanical regulation of folliculogenesis, discuss contradictory data, and describe the tools and models used to investigate this concept. By considering mechanical forces alongside hormonal and biochemical signals, we propose a more integrated view of the factors governing follicle development, with implications for understanding ovarian physiology and pathology.
{"title":"Biophysical, cellular, and mouse model approaches to investigate the mechanical regulation of folliculogenesis","authors":"Sara Pietroforte, Farners Amargant","doi":"10.1016/j.semcdb.2025.103649","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.semcdb.2025.103649","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Folliculogenesis, which is the process by which ovarian follicles develop to support oogenesis and hormone production, is essential for female fertility. Although hormonal and biochemical signaling pathways regulating folliculogenesis have been extensively studied, increasing evidence suggests that mechanical cues within the ovary also play a critical role. The ovary is composed of follicles, corpora lutea, and stroma, each contributing to a biomechanical microenvironment that might change across the reproductive lifespan. Additionally, the spatial organization of the ovary, with a collagen-rich cortex and a softer medulla, may influence follicle activation and growth. This review explores the hypothesis that mechanical properties of the ovary regulate folliculogenesis, integrating current knowledge on ovarian architecture, extracellular matrix composition, and mechanotransduction pathways. We highlight recent findings supporting mechanical regulation of folliculogenesis, discuss contradictory data, and describe the tools and models used to investigate this concept. By considering mechanical forces alongside hormonal and biochemical signals, we propose a more integrated view of the factors governing follicle development, with implications for understanding ovarian physiology and pathology.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21735,"journal":{"name":"Seminars in cell & developmental biology","volume":"174 ","pages":"Article 103649"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144920273","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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