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Tissue morphogenesis is driven by mechanical forces triggering cell movements and shape changes. Quantitatively measuring tension within tissues is of great importance for understanding the role of mechanical signals acting on the cell and tissue level during morphogenesis. Here we introduce laser ablation as a useful tool to probe tissue tension within the granulosa layer, an epithelial monolayer of somatic cells that surround the zebrafish female gamete during folliculogenesis. We describe in detail how to isolate follicles, mount samples, perform laser surgery, and analyze the data.

The transcription coactivator, Yes-associated protein (YAP), which is a nuclear effector of the Hippo signaling pathway, has been shown to be a mechano-transducer. By using mutant fish and human 3D spheroids, we have recently demonstrated that YAP is also a mechano-effector. YAP functions in three-dimensional (3D) morphogenesis of organ and global body shape by controlling actomyosin-mediated tissue tension. In this chapter, we present a platform that links the findings in fish embryos with human cells. The protocols for analyzing tissue tension-mediated global body shape/organ morphogenesis in vivo and ex vivo using medaka fish embryos and in vitro using human cell spheroids represent useful tools for unraveling the molecular mechanisms by which YAP functions in regulating global body/organ morphogenesis.

Mechanically coupled cells can generate forces driving cell and tissue morphogenesis during development. Visualization and measuring of these forces is of major importance to better understand the complexity of the biomechanic processes that shape cells and tissues. Here, we describe how UV laser ablation can be utilized to quantitatively assess mechanical tension in different tissues of the developing zebrafish and in cultures of primary germ layer progenitor cells ex vivo.

The zebrafish is a favorite model organism to study tissue morphogenesis during development at a subcellular level. This largely results from the fact that zebrafish embryos are transparent and thus accessible to various imaging techniques, such as confocal and two-photon excitation (2PE) microscopy. In particular, 2PE microscopy has been shown to be useful for imaging deep cell layers within the embryo and following tissue morphogenesis over long periods. This chapter describes how to use 2PE microscopy to study morphogenetic movements during early zebrafish embryonic development, providing a general blueprint for its use in zebrafish.

The controlled internalization of membrane receptors and lipids is crucial for cells to control signaling pathways and interact with their environment. During clathrin-mediated endocytosis, membrane constituents are transported via endocytic vesicles into early endosomes, from which they are further distributed within the cell. The small guanosine triphosphatase (GTPase) Rab5 is both required and sufficient for the formation of these early endosomes and can be used to experimentally address endocytic processes. Recent evidence shows that endocytic turnover of E-cadherin regulates the migration of mesendodermal cells during zebrafish gastrulation by modulating their adhesive interactions with neighboring cells. This in turn leads to effective and synchronized movement within the embryo. In this review, we discuss techniques to manipulate E-cadherin endocytosis by morpholino-mediated knockdown of rab5 during zebrafish gastrulation. We describe the use of antibodies specifically directed against zebrafish E-cadherin to detect its intracellular localization and of in situ hybridization and primary cell culture to reveal patterns of cell migration and adhesion, respectively.