Aurélien Villedieu
@aurelienvilledieu.bsky.social
Postdoc in Jérôme Gros's team | Former PhD student in Yohanns Bellaïche's team | Multi-scale study of tissue morphogenesis | Live-imaging and quantitative biology
Reposted by Aurélien Villedieu
My first paper is officially out in @currentbiology.bsky.social ! We found that snake embryos coil due to a mismatch in growth rates between the gut and spine. This tight coil is one of the reasons why snakes are able to get so long. Read the paper here!
August 31, 2026 at 6:28 PM
My first paper is officially out in @currentbiology.bsky.social ! We found that snake embryos coil due to a mismatch in growth rates between the gut and spine. This tight coil is one of the reasons why snakes are able to get so long. Read the paper here!
Reposted by Aurélien Villedieu
🧵 What if one reason fertility declines with age isn’t just genetic-but mechanical?
Thrilled to share our new paper in
@NatureCellBio
:
Elevated contractility drives implantation failure in mouse embryos from aged females… here’s what we found 👇
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
1/11
Thrilled to share our new paper in
@NatureCellBio
:
Elevated contractility drives implantation failure in mouse embryos from aged females… here’s what we found 👇
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
1/11
Elevated contractility drives implantation failure in mouse embryos from aged females - Nature Cell Biology
Cavanaugh et al. show that embryos from aged mice have increased contractility and tissue viscosity on embryonic day 4.5, which leads to poor spreading and attachment. Similar age-associated mechanica...
www.nature.com
August 25, 2026 at 6:37 PM
🧵 What if one reason fertility declines with age isn’t just genetic-but mechanical?
Thrilled to share our new paper in
@NatureCellBio
:
Elevated contractility drives implantation failure in mouse embryos from aged females… here’s what we found 👇
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
1/11
Thrilled to share our new paper in
@NatureCellBio
:
Elevated contractility drives implantation failure in mouse embryos from aged females… here’s what we found 👇
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
1/11
Reposted by Aurélien Villedieu
Planar cell polarity-directed cell crawling drives polarized epithelial morphogenesis: Current Biology www.cell.com/current-biol...
Planar cell polarity-directed cell crawling drives polarized epithelial morphogenesis
Sharan et al. investigate how planar cell polarity (PCP) directs counter-rotational
cell flows during hair placode morphogenesis by coordinating cell crawling at the
basal surface. 3D imaging and comp...
www.cell.com
June 24, 2026 at 11:12 AM
Planar cell polarity-directed cell crawling drives polarized epithelial morphogenesis: Current Biology www.cell.com/current-biol...
Reposted by Aurélien Villedieu
Big paper from @hejnol.bsky.social lab. Title says it all. Congrats, Stanislav Kremnyov and the team.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A blastoporal organizer in a ctenophore - Nature
Experiments using the comb jelly Mnemiopsis leidyi and the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis reveal that the emergence of a core signalling pathway may have been a key innovation enabling the transit...
www.nature.com
June 18, 2026 at 10:26 AM
Big paper from @hejnol.bsky.social lab. Title says it all. Congrats, Stanislav Kremnyov and the team.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Aurélien Villedieu
Our work on Trichoplax locomotion and mechanosensing capabilities is out now in @currentbiology.bsky.social.
Congrats Marvin Leria & all co-authors!
authors.elsevier.com/c/1n8Ig3QW8S...
Congrats Marvin Leria & all co-authors!
authors.elsevier.com/c/1n8Ig3QW8S...
May 22, 2026 at 9:00 AM
Our work on Trichoplax locomotion and mechanosensing capabilities is out now in @currentbiology.bsky.social.
Congrats Marvin Leria & all co-authors!
authors.elsevier.com/c/1n8Ig3QW8S...
Congrats Marvin Leria & all co-authors!
authors.elsevier.com/c/1n8Ig3QW8S...
Reposted by Aurélien Villedieu
Really happy to share my PhD story about the regulation of developmental speed in the Drosophila eye 🪰😃👀, which is now published @embojournal.org:
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Grateful to everyone who make this possible, particularly F. Schweisguth @pasteur.fr @devstempasteur.bsky.social
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Grateful to everyone who make this possible, particularly F. Schweisguth @pasteur.fr @devstempasteur.bsky.social
May 16, 2026 at 8:18 AM
Really happy to share my PhD story about the regulation of developmental speed in the Drosophila eye 🪰😃👀, which is now published @embojournal.org:
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Grateful to everyone who make this possible, particularly F. Schweisguth @pasteur.fr @devstempasteur.bsky.social
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Grateful to everyone who make this possible, particularly F. Schweisguth @pasteur.fr @devstempasteur.bsky.social
Reposted by Aurélien Villedieu
The vertebrate yolk sac: evolutionary origins & current advances in #invitromodels
Blagrove & co examine the evolution of the extra-embryonic endoderm, an evolutionarily ancient tissue co-opted to form the yolk sac, & explore how in vitro models are uncovering its biology. doi.org/10.1242/dev....
Blagrove & co examine the evolution of the extra-embryonic endoderm, an evolutionarily ancient tissue co-opted to form the yolk sac, & explore how in vitro models are uncovering its biology. doi.org/10.1242/dev....
May 5, 2026 at 1:27 PM
The vertebrate yolk sac: evolutionary origins & current advances in #invitromodels
Blagrove & co examine the evolution of the extra-embryonic endoderm, an evolutionarily ancient tissue co-opted to form the yolk sac, & explore how in vitro models are uncovering its biology. doi.org/10.1242/dev....
Blagrove & co examine the evolution of the extra-embryonic endoderm, an evolutionarily ancient tissue co-opted to form the yolk sac, & explore how in vitro models are uncovering its biology. doi.org/10.1242/dev....
Reposted by Aurélien Villedieu
We are happy to share our new bioRxiv pre-print on A-P axis patterning. A great collaboration with Felix Zhou (UT Southwestern) & the Yeomans group (Physics, Oxford)
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
April 29, 2026 at 12:19 PM
We are happy to share our new bioRxiv pre-print on A-P axis patterning. A great collaboration with Felix Zhou (UT Southwestern) & the Yeomans group (Physics, Oxford)
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reposted by Aurélien Villedieu
New paper out in @cp-cellstemcell.bsky.social. We uncover unexpected complexity in how metabolism changes when the embryo implants or when stem cells exit naive pluripotency, revealing a central role for dynamic TCA cycle rewiring in cell fate decisions. www.cell.com/cell-stem-ce...
TCA cycle rewiring underpins histone acetylation sourcing and cell-fate transitions during exit from naive pluripotency
Using carbon tracing and functional experiments, Kafkia, Pladevall-Morera, et al.
show that TCA cycle rewiring underlies mouse embryo implantation and the exit from
naive pluripotency. In this context...
www.cell.com
April 25, 2026 at 10:46 AM
New paper out in @cp-cellstemcell.bsky.social. We uncover unexpected complexity in how metabolism changes when the embryo implants or when stem cells exit naive pluripotency, revealing a central role for dynamic TCA cycle rewiring in cell fate decisions. www.cell.com/cell-stem-ce...
Reposted by Aurélien Villedieu
Our latest work on shape-programmable tissues is out in @science.org. By positioning topological defects in cellular nematics, we encode frustrated 2D force fields that relax into predictable 3D shapes. Collaboration with Marino Arroyo’s lab, led by @pauguillamat.bsky.social at @ibecbarcelona.eu.
April 17, 2026 at 9:56 AM
Our latest work on shape-programmable tissues is out in @science.org. By positioning topological defects in cellular nematics, we encode frustrated 2D force fields that relax into predictable 3D shapes. Collaboration with Marino Arroyo’s lab, led by @pauguillamat.bsky.social at @ibecbarcelona.eu.
Reposted by Aurélien Villedieu
I’m pleased to share our latest preprint (my first as 1st-author) from Jérôme Gros’ group (@jeromegros.bsky.social), now on bioRxiv. It reports actin and myosin dynamics during epithelial remodeling in avian gastrulation. (doi: doi.org/10.64898/202...)
Actin and myosin dynamics during epithelial remodeling in avian gastrulation
Epithelial remodeling is powered by contractile forces exerted by the actomyosin cytoskeleton. In invertebrates, pulsatile contractile flows of the medio-apical actomyosin cortex have been shown to be...
doi.org
December 19, 2025 at 4:33 PM
I’m pleased to share our latest preprint (my first as 1st-author) from Jérôme Gros’ group (@jeromegros.bsky.social), now on bioRxiv. It reports actin and myosin dynamics during epithelial remodeling in avian gastrulation. (doi: doi.org/10.64898/202...)
Reposted by Aurélien Villedieu
Wnt and Nodal asymmetries stratify mouse laterality phenotypes in the absence of node flow https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.21.695689v1
December 24, 2025 at 2:30 AM
Wnt and Nodal asymmetries stratify mouse laterality phenotypes in the absence of node flow https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.21.695689v1
Reposted by Aurélien Villedieu
#RésultatScientifique 🔎 | Comment les filaments d'actine s'organisent à l'intérieur des cellules et des tissus vivants
🔬 @institutfresnel.bsky.social 🤝 @univ-amu.fr @centralemed.bsky.social @cnrs.fr
📍 @cnrs-dr12.bsky.social
🔬 @institutfresnel.bsky.social 🤝 @univ-amu.fr @centralemed.bsky.social @cnrs.fr
📍 @cnrs-dr12.bsky.social
Comment les filaments d'actine s'organisent à l'intérieur des cellules et des tissus vivants
En utilisant la microscopie de fluorescence résolue en polarisation, les biologistes et physiciens de l'Institut Fresnel, associés à une équipe internat
www.insis.cnrs.fr
November 26, 2025 at 9:58 AM
#RésultatScientifique 🔎 | Comment les filaments d'actine s'organisent à l'intérieur des cellules et des tissus vivants
🔬 @institutfresnel.bsky.social 🤝 @univ-amu.fr @centralemed.bsky.social @cnrs.fr
📍 @cnrs-dr12.bsky.social
🔬 @institutfresnel.bsky.social 🤝 @univ-amu.fr @centralemed.bsky.social @cnrs.fr
📍 @cnrs-dr12.bsky.social
Reposted by Aurélien Villedieu
Out today. 🙏 again to everyone for this wonderful piece of work, in particular to Aurelie @aurhin.bsky.social Chase @chasebolt.bsky.social and Brent @homeobox.bsky.social. 🙏 also to the Harris lab @fish4walking.bsky.social and @neilshubin.bsky.social @biology-unige.bsky.social @college-de-france.fr
September 17, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Out today. 🙏 again to everyone for this wonderful piece of work, in particular to Aurelie @aurhin.bsky.social Chase @chasebolt.bsky.social and Brent @homeobox.bsky.social. 🙏 also to the Harris lab @fish4walking.bsky.social and @neilshubin.bsky.social @biology-unige.bsky.social @college-de-france.fr
Reposted by Aurélien Villedieu
We are all super happy and proud to see our work on the function and evolution of the #cephalic #furrow published in @nature.com. Let me say a few things about the background and history of this work on the #Evolution_of_Morphogenesis (1/12)
September 4, 2025 at 8:22 AM
We are all super happy and proud to see our work on the function and evolution of the #cephalic #furrow published in @nature.com. Let me say a few things about the background and history of this work on the #Evolution_of_Morphogenesis (1/12)
Reposted by Aurélien Villedieu
Our latest: We developed a chemo-optogenetic system for precise spatiotemporal control of morphogen production. Using dual light + small molecule control of Sonic Hedgehog production, we recapitulated neural tube patterning in vitro & measured spread of Shh
🧵
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
🧵
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Investigating morphogen and patterning dynamics with optogenetic control of morphogen production
Morphogen gradients provide the patterning cues that instruct cell fate decisions during development. Here, we establish an optogenetic system for the…
www.sciencedirect.com
August 26, 2025 at 8:28 AM
Our latest: We developed a chemo-optogenetic system for precise spatiotemporal control of morphogen production. Using dual light + small molecule control of Sonic Hedgehog production, we recapitulated neural tube patterning in vitro & measured spread of Shh
🧵
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
🧵
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Aurélien Villedieu
Latest paper elifesciences.org/articles/107... closes an important cycle in our efforts to study regeneration: week-long recordings allow us to observe the behaviour of cells during the entire course of regeneration in a crustacean leg – bright objects in movie are fluorescent nuclei of cells. 1/6
August 8, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Latest paper elifesciences.org/articles/107... closes an important cycle in our efforts to study regeneration: week-long recordings allow us to observe the behaviour of cells during the entire course of regeneration in a crustacean leg – bright objects in movie are fluorescent nuclei of cells. 1/6
Reposted by Aurélien Villedieu
Very happy that the first article from my postdoc work in the Tomancak lab is now published @PNAS! www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/.... We studied the self-organization of actin in aggregates made from Hydra cells. Thread below (1/9)
August 6, 2025 at 1:09 PM
Very happy that the first article from my postdoc work in the Tomancak lab is now published @PNAS! www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/.... We studied the self-organization of actin in aggregates made from Hydra cells. Thread below (1/9)
Reposted by Aurélien Villedieu
Finally out! 🥳 Our paper showing how a transposable element (TE) insertion can cause developmental phenotypes is now published @natgenet.nature.com 🧬🦠🐁
Below is a brief description of the major findings. Check the full version of the paper for more details: www.nature.com/articles/s41588-025-02248-5
Below is a brief description of the major findings. Check the full version of the paper for more details: www.nature.com/articles/s41588-025-02248-5
Enhancer adoption by an LTR retrotransposon generates viral-like particles, causing developmental limb phenotypes - Nature Genetics
Activation of an LTR retrotransposon inserted upstream of the Fgf8 gene produces viral-like particles in the mouse developing limb, triggering apoptosis and causing limb malformation. This phenotype c...
www.nature.com
July 9, 2025 at 10:05 AM
Finally out! 🥳 Our paper showing how a transposable element (TE) insertion can cause developmental phenotypes is now published @natgenet.nature.com 🧬🦠🐁
Below is a brief description of the major findings. Check the full version of the paper for more details: www.nature.com/articles/s41588-025-02248-5
Below is a brief description of the major findings. Check the full version of the paper for more details: www.nature.com/articles/s41588-025-02248-5
Reposted by Aurélien Villedieu
If you’ve been following this account closely, you might already know methods to probe mechanics in vitro, but what about in live embryos?
I’m @amichaut.bsky.social, and I’m going to share a few great papers on this aspect of #EpithelialMechanics.
I’m @amichaut.bsky.social, and I’m going to share a few great papers on this aspect of #EpithelialMechanics.
July 20, 2025 at 7:01 AM
If you’ve been following this account closely, you might already know methods to probe mechanics in vitro, but what about in live embryos?
I’m @amichaut.bsky.social, and I’m going to share a few great papers on this aspect of #EpithelialMechanics.
I’m @amichaut.bsky.social, and I’m going to share a few great papers on this aspect of #EpithelialMechanics.
Reposted by Aurélien Villedieu
Here is what I have been up to in the lab of @stephangrill.bsky.social together with @neipel.bsky.social and many others.
Intrigued by avian left right symmetry breaking we found that a tissue-scale active torque drives chiral flow and requires mechanical coupling to the underlying tissue.
Intrigued by avian left right symmetry breaking we found that a tissue-scale active torque drives chiral flow and requires mechanical coupling to the underlying tissue.
(1/10)
I am excited to finally share our work on avian left/right symmetry breaking with you. We reveal a tissue-scale active torque dipole generated at the Hensen’s node, thanks to crazy experiments by Julia @juliapfanzelter.bsky.social and some analysis by me.
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
I am excited to finally share our work on avian left/right symmetry breaking with you. We reveal a tissue-scale active torque dipole generated at the Hensen’s node, thanks to crazy experiments by Julia @juliapfanzelter.bsky.social and some analysis by me.
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
An active torque dipole across tissue layers drives avian left-right symmetry breaking
Unlike in mice, frogs, and fish, left-right (L/R) body axis formation in avian embryos does not arise from the chiral beat of cilia. Instead, a counter-clockwise tissue rotation around Hensen′ node, t...
doi.org
July 20, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Here is what I have been up to in the lab of @stephangrill.bsky.social together with @neipel.bsky.social and many others.
Intrigued by avian left right symmetry breaking we found that a tissue-scale active torque drives chiral flow and requires mechanical coupling to the underlying tissue.
Intrigued by avian left right symmetry breaking we found that a tissue-scale active torque drives chiral flow and requires mechanical coupling to the underlying tissue.
Reposted by Aurélien Villedieu
🏳️🌈Our editor @slefkopoulos.bsky.social discussed with @jzylicz.bsky.social about the importance of celebrating Pride, representation in science, and more! Happy Pride!
Read here: rdcu.be/ewfba
bit.ly/3Uc72TO
Read here: rdcu.be/ewfba
bit.ly/3Uc72TO
Coming out is not a one-time event - Nature Cell Biology
June is the month celebrating Pride in the USA and other countries around the world to honour the Stonewall Uprising of 1969, as well as all progress and current strives claiming equal justice for mem...
bit.ly
July 14, 2025 at 11:36 PM
🏳️🌈Our editor @slefkopoulos.bsky.social discussed with @jzylicz.bsky.social about the importance of celebrating Pride, representation in science, and more! Happy Pride!
Read here: rdcu.be/ewfba
bit.ly/3Uc72TO
Read here: rdcu.be/ewfba
bit.ly/3Uc72TO
Many thanks to Ruoheng Li and @prelights.bsky.social for featuring our preprint!
Seeing and (not) believing! On the role of hypoblast in primitive streak induction.
In her second #preLight, Ruoheng Li covers the #preprint by
@aurelienvilledieu.bsky.social and the @jeromegros.bsky.social's research team.
In her second #preLight, Ruoheng Li covers the #preprint by
@aurelienvilledieu.bsky.social and the @jeromegros.bsky.social's research team.
Live imaging and functional characterization of the avian hypoblast redefine the mechanisms of primitive streak induction - preLights
Seeing and (not) believing the role of hypoblast in primitive streak induction
prelights.biologists.com
July 10, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Many thanks to Ruoheng Li and @prelights.bsky.social for featuring our preprint!
🚨 A very interesting conference on gastrulation coming up soon 🚨 Don't miss the chance to interact with these renowned speakers! Early bird deadline: July 15th
Registration is now open!
Gastrulation Reloaded: Developing, engineering & evolving the body plan
📅 October 14–17, 2025
📍 Paris, France
🗓️ Abstract & early bird deadline: July 15, 2025
www.gastrulation-reloaded.conferences-pasteur.org/home
Exceptional lineup of speakers & many selected talks
Gastrulation Reloaded: Developing, engineering & evolving the body plan
📅 October 14–17, 2025
📍 Paris, France
🗓️ Abstract & early bird deadline: July 15, 2025
www.gastrulation-reloaded.conferences-pasteur.org/home
Exceptional lineup of speakers & many selected talks
July 3, 2025 at 1:25 PM
🚨 A very interesting conference on gastrulation coming up soon 🚨 Don't miss the chance to interact with these renowned speakers! Early bird deadline: July 15th
Reposted by Aurélien Villedieu
🧵Just out !
We reveal how 4 branched epithelia—mammary, lacrimal, salivary & prostate—use a conserved YAP–Notch–p63 circuit to self-organize during development & regeneration.
Here’s the story👇
authors.elsevier.com/c/1lM285Sx5g...
Work done in @frelab.bsky.social at
@institutcurie.bsky.social
We reveal how 4 branched epithelia—mammary, lacrimal, salivary & prostate—use a conserved YAP–Notch–p63 circuit to self-organize during development & regeneration.
Here’s the story👇
authors.elsevier.com/c/1lM285Sx5g...
Work done in @frelab.bsky.social at
@institutcurie.bsky.social
July 1, 2025 at 6:39 AM
🧵Just out !
We reveal how 4 branched epithelia—mammary, lacrimal, salivary & prostate—use a conserved YAP–Notch–p63 circuit to self-organize during development & regeneration.
Here’s the story👇
authors.elsevier.com/c/1lM285Sx5g...
Work done in @frelab.bsky.social at
@institutcurie.bsky.social
We reveal how 4 branched epithelia—mammary, lacrimal, salivary & prostate—use a conserved YAP–Notch–p63 circuit to self-organize during development & regeneration.
Here’s the story👇
authors.elsevier.com/c/1lM285Sx5g...
Work done in @frelab.bsky.social at
@institutcurie.bsky.social