Title: Collective dynamics in multicellular organisms

Speaker: Jeroen van Zon

Abstract:

During development and homeostasis, cells in multicellular organisms must coordinate their behavior to ensure correct organization and responses to the environment. In our group, we use advanced time-lapse microscopy, quantitative analysis and mathematical modelling to study such collective phenomena. Here, I will present two examples of this approach. In nematode worms, we found that, in response to constant external stress, the transcription factor DAF-16 enters and exits the nucleus in stochastic pulses that are nevertheless strongly synchronized in cells throughout the body, and used mathematical models to explain this surprising synchrony. In the mouse intestine, we combined organoids - mini-intestines that can be grown outside of the body - with cell tracking based on deep learning to follow the movement and division of all cells, and used this to elucidate the role of position and cell rearrangement in cell type patterning.

This seminar will take place in room room A1.28