G. Charras

The cytoplasm of living cells can sustain transient and steady intracellular pressure gradients

This study shows that cells can sustain intracellular pressure gradients over minutes, revealing the role of cytoplasmic poroelasticity in mechanical responses and cell physiology.

Frictiotaxis underlies adhesion-independent durotaxis

The paper shows cells can migrate towards stiffer substrates without strong adhesions, proposing a new mechanism called frictiotaxis based on friction gradients.

Learning dynamic image representations for self-supervised cell cycle annotation

This paper introduces a self-supervised framework using image autoencoders and dynamic time series analysis to annotate cell cycle phases in single-cell trajectories.

Spatiotemporal mapping of the contractile and adhesive forces sculpting early C. elegans embryos

This study maps spatiotemporal changes in cellular tensions during early C. elegans embryo development using a hybrid inference pipeline validated with AFM and live microscopy.

Rupture Strength of Living Cell Monolayers

This study investigates how epithelial monolayers withstand mechanical stress and rupture, showing that keratin filaments control strain stiffening and tissue strength.

Force propagation between epithelial cells depends on active coupling and mechano-structural polarization

This study shows that force propagation between epithelial cells depends on active coupling and mechano-structural polarization, with stronger responses when polarization is perpendicular to force direction.

Spindle reorientation in response to mechanical stress is an emergent property of the spindle positioning mechanisms

The paper investigates how mitotic spindles reorient in response to mechanical stress and finds that spindle rotation emerges from interactions between positioning machinery and cortical tension.

Tension at intercellular junctions is necessary for accurate orientation of cell division in the epithelium plane

This study shows that tissue tension at intercellular junctions is necessary for accurate in-plane spindle orientation during epithelial cell division.

Learning the rules of cell competition without prior scientific knowledge

This paper develops a deep learning model to learn the rules of cell competition from time-lapse microscopy data and identifies cell density as the key factor in determining cell fate.

Cell-scale biophysical determinants of cell competition in epithelia

The paper constructs a multi-scale agent-based model to study cell competition in epithelia, finding that mechanical competition depends on homeostatic density differences while biochemical competition depends on tissue organisation.

Automated deep lineage tree analysis using a Bayesian single cell tracking approach

This paper introduces an automated deep lineage tree analysis method using Bayesian single-cell tracking to study cell cycle heritability in live-cell imaging data.

Curling of epithelial monolayers reveals coupling between active bending and tissue tension

The paper studies epithelial curling to assess the role of active bending and tissue tension in morphogenesis, finding that curling arises from myosin-driven active curvature and is regulated by in-plane and out-of-plane stresses.

A unified rheological model for cells and cellularised materials

This paper introduces a unified rheological model combining viscoelastic elements and fractional calculus to capture the mechanical behavior of epithelial monolayers and biological materials.

Isotropic myosin-generated tissue tension is required for the dynamic orientation of the mitotic spindle

This study shows that isotropic tissue tension is necessary for proper mitotic spindle orientation in epithelial cells, with spindle alignment failing in low-tension regions.

Automating multimodal microscopy with NanoJ-Fluidics

The paper introduces NanoJ-Fluidics, an open-source system for automating multimodal microscopy workflows, demonstrating its ability to perform complex imaging experiments with high reproducibility.

Polarization of Myosin II refines tissue material properties to buffer mechanical stress.

The paper identifies a mechanosensitive pathway that uses Myosin II polarization to stiffen tissues and buffer mechanical stress, preventing damage and preserving tissue shape.