{"id":4166,"date":"2015-06-15T17:00:48","date_gmt":"2015-06-15T15:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.embl.de\/?p=4166"},"modified":"2024-11-29T16:53:08","modified_gmt":"2024-11-29T15:53:08","slug":"1506-cell-dance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/1506-cell-dance\/","title":{"rendered":"Dancing with the cells"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The focus of the study was a stage of development known as compaction, which takes place when the embryo has eight cells. Compaction changes the embryo from a loosely attached group of cells to a closely bonded single entity. During compaction \u2013 which takes around 10 hours \u2013 the cells change shape to create the overall form of the embryo, increasing the area of contact between them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using a new method, the researchers were able to measure the forces required to change the shape of the cells as compaction progressed. Being able to chart the tension within the embryo without destroying it meant they were able to investigate which cellular process was the main driver behind the compaction process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first contender was a process known as adhesion. This is controlled by E-cadherin, an adhesion molecule on the cell surface that sticks cells together, \u2019zipping up\u2019 the two surfaces as the molecules attach to each other. Earlier research had shown that when adhesion was blocked, compaction did not take place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second contender was cell contraction, a process controlled by myosin, a type of motor protein that also causes contractions in muscle fibres. Myosin \u2018walks\u2019 on tracks formed by another protein, actin. Every cell has a layer of actin underneath its membrane, and myosin contracts this cortical layer, controlling the tension of the cell surface. The EMBL Heidelberg team had also established that compaction did not take place if a cell\u2019s ability to contract was blocked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was a contraction that pulls the cells together to compact the embryo, rather than adhesion acting as a glue to \u2018stick\u2019 them together<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Postdoctoral researcher and first author, Jean-L\u00e9on Ma\u00eetre, explains: \u201cBy measuring the tensions of the cells when each cellular process was blocked, we were able to prove it was a contraction that pulls the cells together to compact the embryo, rather than adhesion acting as a glue to \u2018stick\u2019 them together. Adhesion is obviously important, but it appears to work as an anchor, rather than an engine of the compaction process.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This discovery was made possible by combining biological expertise from the group led by Takashi Hiiragi<\/a> with that of the physicists working in the N\u00e9d\u00e9l\u00e9c group<\/a>. Herv\u00e9 Turlier explains: \u201cThe research showed that it was the increased tension at the outer surface of the embryo that drives the compaction, rather than the relaxation of the cell to cell contacts. In fact, the changing ratio between these two tensions now provides us with a simple way to portray the compaction process despite the complex biological mechanisms taking place.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time as compaction but on a shorter timescale, the team observed that the cells start to \u2018dance\u2019. The \u2018dance\u2019 is caused by a wave of contraction that bends the surface of the cell, traveling round it every 80 seconds. \u201cWe\u2019ve no idea at the moment if this \u2018dance\u2019 is important,\u201d says Hiiragi. \u201cAll we know is that it happens at the same time as compaction and is controlled by the same process.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Embryonic cells in other animals are known to pulse every 80 seconds, but this particular form of the movement hasn\u2019t been observed before. Further research will hopefully unveil the details underlying this peculiar phenomenon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/youtu.be\/eToYqdd8jCs
During compaction a wave travels on the surface of embryo cells, giving the impression that they ‘dance’. VIDEO: J.L. Maitre\/EMBL<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cells ‘dance’ as they draw together during early embryo development.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":4167,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,17591],"tags":[65,64,43,351,1748,245],"embl_taxonomy":[],"class_list":["post-4166","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science","category-science-technology","tag-biophysics","tag-cell-biology","tag-heidelberg","tag-hiiragi","tag-press-release","tag-video"],"acf":{"article_intro":"

The same kind of contraction that fires our muscles also controls a key stage of mammalian embryo development, according to a new study published in Nature Cell Biology.<\/i> The research, conducted at EMBL Heidelberg, measured and mapped how cells in very early stage embryos bond tightly together. The scientists also discovered a cellular behaviour that hadn\u2019t been observed before: cells in the embryo \u2018dance\u2019, each one making the same rhythmic movement.<\/p>\n","related_links":[{"link_description":"Hiiragi group","link_url":"http:\/\/www.embl.de\/research\/units\/dev_biology\/hiiragi\/"},{"link_description":"This article first appeared as a press release on the EMBL website, 15 June 2015","link_url":"http:\/\/www.embl.de\/aboutus\/communication_outreach\/media_relations\/2015\/150615_Heidelberg\/index.html"}],"article_sources":[{"source_description":"

Ma\u00eetre, Niwayama, Turlier, et al. Nature Cell Biology<\/em>, 15 June 2015. DOI:10.1038\/ncb3185<\/p>\n","source_link_url":"http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1038\/ncb3185"}],"vf_locked":false,"featured":false,"color":"#007B53","show_featured_image":false,"in_this_article":false,"youtube_url":"","mp4_url":"","video_caption":"","translations":false,"press_contact":"EMBL Generic"},"embl_taxonomy_terms":[],"yoast_head":"\nDancing with the cells | EMBL<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Cells 'dance' as they draw together during early embryo development.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/1506-cell-dance\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Dancing with the cells | EMBL\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Cells 'dance' as they draw together during early embryo development.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/1506-cell-dance\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"EMBL\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/embl.org\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-06-15T15:00:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-11-29T15:53:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/150615-hiiragi-ib.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"620\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"425\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Isabelle Kling\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@embl\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@embl\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Isabelle Kling\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/1506-cell-dance\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/1506-cell-dance\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Isabelle Kling\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/e0df3d2a7d51e01a8118c494997b85c3\"},\"headline\":\"Dancing with the cells\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-06-15T15:00:48+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-11-29T15:53:08+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/1506-cell-dance\/\"},\"wordCount\":570,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/1506-cell-dance\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/150615-hiiragi-ib.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"biophysics\",\"cell biology\",\"heidelberg\",\"hiiragi\",\"press release\",\"video\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Science\",\"Science & Technology\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/1506-cell-dance\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/1506-cell-dance\/\",\"name\":\"Dancing with the cells | EMBL\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/1506-cell-dance\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/1506-cell-dance\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/150615-hiiragi-ib.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-06-15T15:00:48+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-11-29T15:53:08+00:00\",\"description\":\"Cells 'dance' as they draw together during early embryo development.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/1506-cell-dance\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/1506-cell-dance\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/150615-hiiragi-ib.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/150615-hiiragi-ib.jpg\",\"width\":620,\"height\":425,\"caption\":\"The scientists measured the force required to change the shape of the cells by gently deforming each cell with a pipette. IMAGE: J.L. Maitre\/EMBL\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/\",\"name\":\"European Molecular Biology Laboratory News\",\"description\":\"News from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/#organization\"},\"alternateName\":\"EMBL News\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/#organization\",\"name\":\"European Molecular Biology Laboratory\",\"alternateName\":\"EMBL\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/EMBL_logo_colour-1-300x144-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/EMBL_logo_colour-1-300x144-1.png\",\"width\":300,\"height\":144,\"caption\":\"European Molecular Biology Laboratory\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/embl.org\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/embl\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/embl_org\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/15813\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/emblmedia\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/e0df3d2a7d51e01a8118c494997b85c3\",\"name\":\"Isabelle Kling\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b702cee3d1a2d162659a8c12aef6045791a912db4ebed961b437edb34dae8cee?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b702cee3d1a2d162659a8c12aef6045791a912db4ebed961b437edb34dae8cee?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Isabelle Kling\"},\"description\":\"Isabelle Kling trained as a biochemist and science communicator, before setting up various science communication projects in Canada and in Europe. She is now a communication officer with EMBL.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/author\/isabelle-kling\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Dancing with the cells | EMBL","description":"Cells 'dance' as they draw together during early embryo development.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/1506-cell-dance\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Dancing with the cells | EMBL","og_description":"Cells 'dance' as they draw together during early embryo development.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/1506-cell-dance\/","og_site_name":"EMBL","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/embl.org\/","article_published_time":"2015-06-15T15:00:48+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-11-29T15:53:08+00:00","og_image":[{"width":620,"height":425,"url":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/150615-hiiragi-ib.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Isabelle Kling","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@embl","twitter_site":"@embl","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Isabelle Kling","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/1506-cell-dance\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/1506-cell-dance\/"},"author":{"name":"Isabelle Kling","@id":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/e0df3d2a7d51e01a8118c494997b85c3"},"headline":"Dancing with the cells","datePublished":"2015-06-15T15:00:48+00:00","dateModified":"2024-11-29T15:53:08+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/1506-cell-dance\/"},"wordCount":570,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/1506-cell-dance\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/150615-hiiragi-ib.jpg","keywords":["biophysics","cell biology","heidelberg","hiiragi","press release","video"],"articleSection":["Science","Science & Technology"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/1506-cell-dance\/","url":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/1506-cell-dance\/","name":"Dancing with the cells | EMBL","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/1506-cell-dance\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/1506-cell-dance\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/150615-hiiragi-ib.jpg","datePublished":"2015-06-15T15:00:48+00:00","dateModified":"2024-11-29T15:53:08+00:00","description":"Cells 'dance' as they draw together during early embryo development.","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/1506-cell-dance\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/science\/1506-cell-dance\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/150615-hiiragi-ib.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/150615-hiiragi-ib.jpg","width":620,"height":425,"caption":"The scientists measured the force required to change the shape of the cells by gently deforming each cell with a pipette. IMAGE: J.L. Maitre\/EMBL"},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/","name":"European Molecular Biology Laboratory News","description":"News from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/#organization"},"alternateName":"EMBL News","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/#organization","name":"European Molecular Biology Laboratory","alternateName":"EMBL","url":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/EMBL_logo_colour-1-300x144-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/EMBL_logo_colour-1-300x144-1.png","width":300,"height":144,"caption":"European Molecular Biology Laboratory"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/embl.org\/","https:\/\/x.com\/embl","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/embl_org\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/15813\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/emblmedia\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/e0df3d2a7d51e01a8118c494997b85c3","name":"Isabelle Kling","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b702cee3d1a2d162659a8c12aef6045791a912db4ebed961b437edb34dae8cee?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b702cee3d1a2d162659a8c12aef6045791a912db4ebed961b437edb34dae8cee?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Isabelle Kling"},"description":"Isabelle Kling trained as a biochemist and science communicator, before setting up various science communication projects in Canada and in Europe. She is now a communication officer with EMBL.","url":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/author\/isabelle-kling\/"}]}},"field_target_display":"embl","field_article_language":{"value":"english","label":"English"},"fimg_url":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/150615-hiiragi-ib.jpg","featured_image_src":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/150615-hiiragi-ib.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4166","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4166"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4166\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24428,"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4166\/revisions\/24428"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4167"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4166"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4166"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4166"},{"taxonomy":"embl_taxonomy","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/embl_taxonomy?post=4166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}