Features of amphibian embryos that have served so well to elucidate the genetics of vertebrate development also enable detailed analysis of the physics that shape morphogenesis and regulate development. Biophysical tools are revealing how genes control mechanical properties of the embryo. The same tools that describe and control mechanical properties are being turned to reveal how dynamic mechanical information and feedback regulate biological programs of development. In this review we outline efforts to explore the various roles of mechanical cues in guiding cilia biology, axonal pathfinding, goblet cell regeneration, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transitions in neural crest, and mesenchymal-to-epithelial transitions in heart progenitors. These case studies reveal the power of Xenopus experimental embryology to expose pathways integrating mechanical cues with programs of development, organogenesis, and regeneration.

中文翻译：

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从生物力学到力学生物学：非洲爪蟾提供了对塑造胚胎的物理原理的直接访问。

两栖动物胚胎的特征很好地阐明了脊椎动物发育的遗传学，也使我们能够详细分析塑造形态发生和调节发育的物理学。生物物理工具正在揭示基因如何控制胚胎的机械特性。描述和控制机械特性的相同工具正在被用来揭示动态机械信息和反馈如何调节生物发展程序。在这篇综述中，我们概述了探索机械线索在指导纤毛生物学、轴突寻路、杯状细胞再生、神经嵴中的上皮-间质转化以及心脏祖细胞中的间质-上皮转化中的各种作用的努力。