2024 journal article

Morphoelastic models discriminate between different mechanisms of left-right asymmetric stomach morphogenesis

CELLS & DEVELOPMENT, 177.

author keywords: Stomach morphogenesis; Morphoelasticity; Modeling; left/right asymmetry
TL;DR: A continuum model of asymmetric stomach morphogenesis is developed using a morphoelastic framework and reveals that, of the various differential growth mechanisms tested, only one category is consistent with the leftward stomach curvature observed in wild-type embryos. (via Semantic Scholar)
UN Sustainable Development Goal Categories
10. Reduced Inequalities (OpenAlex)
Source: Web Of Science
Added: March 25, 2024

The mechanisms by which the vertebrate stomach undergoes its evolutionarily conserved leftward bending remain incompletely understood. Although the left and right sides of the organ are known to possess different gene expression patterns and undergo distinct morphogenetic events, the physical mechanisms by which these differences generate morphological asymmetry remain unclear. Here, we develop a continuum model of asymmetric stomach morphogenesis. Using a morphoelastic framework, we investigate the morphogenetic implications of a variety of hypothetical, tissue-level growth differences between the left and right sides of a simplified tubular organ. Simulations reveal that, of the various differential growth mechanisms tested, only one category is consistent with the leftward stomach curvature observed in wild-type embryos: equal left and right volumetric growth rates, coupled with transversely isotropic tissue thinning on the left side. Simulating this mechanism in a defined region of the model over a longer period of growth leads to mature stomach-like curvatures.