Biological & Soft Matter Seminar: Mechanical forces drive ordered patterning of hair cells in the mammalian inner ear

Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88904888353?pwd=dDIwaXRxSjlsVElkR0dXdTNPTGhnZz09

Abstract: 

Periodic organization of cells is required for the function of many organs and tissues. The development of such periodic patterns is typically associated with mechanisms based on intercellular signaling such as lateral inhibition and Turing patterning. In some cases however, the patterning process cannot be explained by signaling mechanisms alone. In our lab we investigate the development of the organ of Corti - the mammalian hearing sensory organ. The organ of Corti has a unique and highly organized structure that is crucial for its proper function – it consists of exactly four rows of sensory cells called hair cells, interspersed with non-sensory cells called supporting cells. The question we address is how such a periodic and precise checkerboard-like pattern is formed during embryonic development. In this talk I'll share our recent findings, showing that the organization of hair cells and supporting cells in the organ of Corti is driven by tissue-wide shear forces, leading to crystal-like organization of hair cells in a process analogous to shear-induced crystallization in granular physics.