Image-based force inference by biomechanical simulation

During morphogenesis, cells precisely generate forces that drive cell shape changes and cellular motion. These forces predominantly arise from contractility of the actomyosin cortex, allowing for cortical tension, protrusion formation, and cell division. Image-based force inference can derive such forces from microscopy images, without complicated and time-consuming experimental set-ups. However, current methods do not account for common effects, such as physical confinement and local force generation. Here we propose a force-inference method based on a biophysical model of cell shape, and assess relative cellular surface tension, adhesive tension between cells, as well as cytokinesis and protrusion formation. We applied our method on fluorescent microscopy images of the early C. elegans embryo. Predictions for cell surface tension at the 7-cell stage were validated by measurements using cortical laser ablation. Our non-invasive method facilitates the accurate tracking of force generation, and offers many new perspectives for studying morphogenesis. Author summary An important challenge in understanding morphogenesis is to determine where forces are generated. Force generation, such as differential cortical tension, plays a key role in cellular self-organization. However, measuring these forces experimentally is a big challenge that typically requires complicated experiments and direct access to the cells being investigated. A non-invasive method, such as force inference based on cell shapes, would have important advantages. Unfortunately, current methods can only be applied in certain cases. Here, we describe a more flexible 3D force inference method, FIDES, that can account for physical confinement, cell divisions and protrusions. We applied the method to infer forces throughout early C. elegans embryogenesis. By using cortical laser ablations, we confirmed that FIDES correctly inferred cell surface tensions in a dynamic stage of the nematode’s embryogenesis. Our approach offers a route to routinely infer force generation in complex movements during morphogenesis, with microscopy images of cell shapes as the sole experimental input.