Study of Biomechanical Properties of Murine Embryos Using Brillouin Scattering (CAT#: STEM-ST-0126-YJL)

Introduction

Mechanical forces play a significant role in the development of different organs. For example, the heart tube, which begins to contract at embryonic day (E) 8.5, circulates plasma through the vascular system for the first few hours following the first contractions. After the heartbeat strengthens, erythrocytes from blood islands begin to circulate, and, within the next 24 h, blood flow becomes stronger and the heart loops, eventually forming the chambers. Here, the hemodynamic force exerted by the blood flow induces vascular remodeling. Similarly, a number of other processes, such as cell differentiation, rate of cell proliferation, and tumor progression, are affected by cellular biomechanical properties. Thus, understanding the mechanical changes that occur during development will help us gain a deeper insight into the process of embryogenesis.