Raman Research Institute
 

Bangalore
 

Seminar
 

Title: Membrane potential sets the tempo: Bioelectricity controls the rate of somitogenesis in chick embryos through mechanics
 

Speaker:Manohara Mahadeva (Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland.) - Applicant for Postdoctoral fellowship
 

Date & Time: Thursday, 08 January 2026 at 11:00 AM
 

Venue: Library block lecture hall
 

Abstract: The mechanisms that determine the timing of developmental processes remain poorly understood. For instance, somitogenesis, a tightly regulated and periodic process of somite formation during early embryogenesis, is species- and tissue-specific, yet the factors setting its rhythm and synchronizing segmentation with somite growth are unknown. Somite formation involves coordinated cell proliferation, migration, self-assembly, and differentiation, processes that are each shown to be controlled by membrane potential (Vm), the electric potential difference across the semipermeable membrane generated by ion concentration gradients. In this study, we investigated whether Vm controls the periodicity of somite segmentation and concurrent somite growth, and whether these effects are mediated by tissue mechanics. In early-stage chick embryos, we mapped Vm using direct micro-electrode and tissue stiffness patterns by employing micro-pipette aspiration methods along the embryonic axis, modulated Vm using physiologically relevant stimuli. We found that as development proceeds, somites become increasingly hyperpolarized and stiffer. Induced depolarization accelerated somitogenesis by promoting cell proliferation and migration/self-assembly and softening somite-forming cells (a characteristic related to enhanced proliferation and motility), whereas hyperpolarization increased stiffness and slowed segmentation. Notably, somite segmentation time was accelerated by nearly 30% without disrupting overall body patterning. Periodicity of somite formation showed a linear dependence on Vm, while somite growth rate followed an exponential relationship. Changes in deformability of somite-forming cells showed a linear dependence on induced changes in Vm. These findings indicate that Vm orchestrates somitogenesis, likely through Vm-related alterations in cell mechanics. The characteristics such as cell proliferation, migration/self-assembly, depolarized membrane potentials and softened tissue are the features that are common to embryogenesis, tumorigenesis, and tissue regeneration. The unravelled correlations between Vm, cell stiffness and somitogenesis from our study may therefore provide valuable insights into fundamental mechanisms that regulate both physiological and pathological conditions
 

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