Julien Vermot, Imperial College London

Le 18 December 2023

Amphi DE

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14h00

Cell mechanics and mechanotransduction in cardiovascular morphogenesis

Cell mechanics and mechanotransduction in cardiovascular morphogenesis

Julien Vermot, PhD, Reader
Vermot LAB, Imperial College London

Abstract

How physical forces influence morphogenesis remains unclear. We study the formation of the zebrafish atrioventricular canal (AVC) where cardiac valves develop to assess the role of mechanical and osmotic forces using zebrafish as a model organism. Using live imaging, we found that the AVC forms within a zone of tissue convergence associated with the increased activation of the actomyosin meshwork and cell-orientation changes. Our recent work aims at providing a cellular understanding of the process. We will discuss the cellular and molecular mechanisms explaining tissue convergence and the role of physical forces in process. I will also introduce our recent methods to visualize, analyse and infer mechanical forces when tissue organises in the embryo.

Biographie

Julien Vermot leads the biomechanics and signaling lab focusing on the understanding on the impact of mechanical stresses during morphogenetic and regenerative processes.
Julien Vermot obtained his PhD in developmental biology from the University of Strasbourg in 2003, where he worked on the role of retinoic acid during embryonic development. He then worked as a visiting scientist the Stowers Institute for Biomedical Research in Kansas City, USA, followed by a post-doctoral position at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena where he developed new tools to study the role of mechanical forces during development. He was Research Director at the French INSERM before joining the Department of Bioengineering at Imperial College London in 2019.
For his research, he has won numerous prizes, including selection for the EMBO membership and the ERC Consolidator Grant.

Mis à jour le 29 November 2023.