Giulia Paci

Throughout animal development, tissues with distinct morphologies and functions have to assume their specific 3D shape under the continuous influence of mechanical forces. These forces can be intrinsic to the tissue (generated locally by the cytoskeleton) or extrinsic and due to an interaction with neighbouring tissues or the environment. Decades of work on different model systems have elucidated the contribution of genetic programs and signalling to morphogenesis; however, the reverse process is not yet well understood. Working jointly between the Baum and Mao labs, and using the Drosophila wing disc as a model system, I aim to reveal how developmental programs respond to and buffer mechanical stresses.