Abstract: Early development in most metazoans is characterized by remarkably fast and coordinated cell cycles. Nonetheless, it is unclear how cell cycle synchronization is achieved and maintained across a large developing embryo. We found that cell cycle synchronization in Drosophila arises through the self-organized positioning of nuclei, which is regulated by the spatiotemporal dynamics of the cell cycle, cortical contractions, and cytoplasmic streaming. First, local Cdk1 downregulation at mitotic exit initiates the...
Part one of a four-part lecture series by Alfonso Martinez Arias, Professor of Developmental Mechanick, University of Cambridge. This week's lecture will discuss "the physics and engineering of Developmental Biology."
