Mechanical Stresses in Animal Development: Patterns and Morphogenetical Role

Abstract

While the role of mechanical stresses (MS) in plant development is now widely accepted, only few researchers are interested in studying their functions in animal morphogenesis. This is largely due to the fact that, as compared with plants, MS in animal tissues are much more various in their origin and space arrangement and less available for direct measurements and manipulations. Also, the relations between the “passive” stresses and the active stress-generating devices in animal embryos are as a rule more complicated than in plants. Nevertheless, a considerable bulk of data indicates not only the presence and a regular patterning of MS at any stage of animal development, but, in some cases at least, their crucial role for morphogenesis and cytodifferentiation.