Research Highlights 2007


The Influence of Cell Mechanics, Cell-Cell Interactions and Proliferation on Epithelial Packing

We develop a vertex model to describe the morphologies of cell packings and cell shapes in growing epithelia. The ground state packing of identical cells is in many cases a perfect hexaginal lattice.  Cell division generates disorder which results in irregular cell packings. Biophyscal properties of cells determine the geometry and topology of the network of cell junctions. We compare our simulations to experimental data of cell packings in the developing fly wing. We quantify two biophysical parameters describing cell mechanical properties.

R. Farhadifar, J.-C. Röper, B. Algouy, S. Eaton and F. Jülicher
Curr. Biol. 17, 2095 (2007)

[PDF (1,5 MB)] Supplementary Material [PDF (2,4 MB)]



Hydrodynamic Theory for Multi-Component Active Polar Gels
J.-F. Joanny, F. Jülicher, K. Kruse and J. Prost
New J. Phys. 9, 422 (2007)
[PDF (319 kB)]

 

How Molecular Motors Shape the Flagellar Beat
I. H. Riedel-Kruse, A. Hilfinger, J. Howard and F. Jülicher
HFSP J.
1, 192 (2007)

[PDF (570 kB)] Supplementary Material

 

Chemotaxis of Sperm Cells
B. M. Friedrich and F. Jülicher
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 104, 13256 (2007)
[PDF (1,4 MB)]; Supplementary Material [PDF (62 kB)]

 

Precision of Genetic Oscillators and Clocks
L. Morelli and F. Jülicher
Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 228101 (2007)
[PDF (336 kB)]

 

Experimental and Theoretical Study of Mitotic Spindle Orientation
M. Théry, A. Jiménez-Dalmaroni, V. Racine, M. Bornens and F. Jülicher
Nature 447, 493 (2007)
[PDF (1012 kB)]

 

Kinetics of Morphogen Gradient Formation
A. Kicheva, P. Pantazis, B. Bollenbach, Y. Kalaidzidis, T. Bittig, F. Jülicher and M. González-Gaitán
Science 315, 521 (2007)
[PDF (437 kB)]; Supplementary Material [PDF (6,45 MB)]