Anisotropic regulation of lateral surface tension directs invagination in C. elegans gastrulation

Gastrulation in Caenorhabditis elegans shows anisotropic invagination with preferential anterior-posterior convergence, linked to patterned lateral surface tension rather than directional apical cortical recoil.

• Why it matters: Directional tissue deformation during epithelial invagination is not well explained by apical constriction alone, and the mechanical role of cell adhesion and lateral tension remains unclear.
• What they did: Laser ablation tested apical cortical recoil directionality, while imaging tracked HMR-1/E-cadherin enrichment at specific lateral interfaces; 3D mechanical simulations compared selective versus uniform lateral tension reduction.
• The result: Apical recoil showed no detectable directional bias, but selectively reducing tension at HMR-1/E-cadherin–enriched interfaces reproduced anisotropic deformation and markedly enhanced invagination, unlike uniform reduction.

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