Martin O. Lenz

Live confocal imaging of cellular touch responses upon local quantifiable mechanical stimulation in plant cells

This paper develops a system to apply quantifiable mechanical stress to plant cells and observe their responses using confocal imaging, aiming to uncover molecular mechanisms of touch response.

Cell Geometry and Junction Arrangement Define the Mechanical Robustness of Plant Tissues

This study identifies three-way junctions as flexible hinges and four-way junctions as stiffer elements in plant tissues, revealing how cell geometry influences mechanical resilience.

Notch mediated lateral inhibition is shaped by morphological differences to reinforce bias toward signal-sending or receiving roles

The paper shows that morphological differences influence Notch-mediated lateral inhibition, biasing cells toward signal-sending or receiving roles during neuroblast selection.

A dynein-driven nucleokinesis program enables neural crest migration through confined tissues in vivo

This study identifies a dynein-driven microtubule-based mechanism for nuclear translocation in zebrafish neural crest cells during confined migration.

Mechanical stress orients stomata division to form tissue scale alignments.

This study identifies mechanical stress as a factor coordinating stomata division orientation at the organ scale in Arabidopsis.

HP1β and densely packed chromatin form separate microdomains in mouse ES cells, which are reconfigured upon exit from naive pluripotency

Vortex light field microscopy: 3D spectral single-molecule imaging with a twist

This paper introduces vortex light field microscopy, achieving 3D spectral single-molecule imaging with 25 nm spatial and 3 nm spectral precision.

Local optogenetic NMYII activation within the zebrafish neural rod results in long-range, asymmetric force propagation

The paper shows that local optogenetic activation of NMYII in zebrafish neural rod cells causes long-range, asymmetric force propagation along the anterior-posterior axis.

Single-nucleus transcriptomics resolves differentiation dynamics between shoot stem cells and primary stem.

The paper uses single-nucleus RNA-seq to construct an Arabidopsis SAM atlas, revealing transcriptional dynamics and regulatory elements during shoot stem cell differentiation.

Neuromesodermal Progenitors are a Conserved Source of Spinal Cord with Divergent Growth Dynamics

The paper traces neuromesodermal progenitors in zebrafish embryos to show they contribute to spinal cord and mesoderm with distinct growth dynamics across species.