Raphaël Clément

Raphaël Clément

@raphclement.bsky.social

Biophysics, developmental biology, morphogenesis @ IBDM & Centuri (CNRS / Aix-Marseille Université) https://raphaelclement.fr

226 followers239 following17 posts

View full thread

Altogether, this work reveals surprising and dynamic locomotion behaviours adapted to environmental cues, and emerging from simple cellular responses in Trichoplax, an animal with no muscles or nervous system.

View full thread

These rapid changes of direction rely on the reorientation of BBs across the whole animal on the timescale of seconds (here cut + 30s). Using pharmacological treatments, we find that the propagation of reorientation relies on voltage-gated Calcium channels.

By quantifying ciliary basal bodies (BB) orientation at the animal scale with sub-cellular resultion, we find that they dynamically align with the direction of movement. Trichoplax body shape changes result from large-scale gradients of BB orientation.

Raphaël Clément reposted

Tumours aren’t just a messy mix of cells—they’re highly organised and hierarchical societies! Just like in all societies, small chats between individuals can drive collective emergent behaviours - we reveal how these sustain tumour growth and cellular heterogeneity. 🧵👇

biorxiv.orgSystem-level regulation of hierarchical transitions in a tumour lineageThe fundamental principles defining how cell state transitions are regulated along a tumour lineage to determine its cellular composition remain unclear. Here, we investigate how such transitions are controlled in a reductionist hierarchical brain tumour model. Quantitative analysis of 3D transition maps revealed that the differentiation of cancer stem cells (CSCs) into transit amplifying progenitors (TAPs) depends on the identity of their immediate neighbours. This is embodied in a transition rule that quantitatively predicts the probability to differentiate as a function of the proportion of TAP neighbours. Integrated into 3D simulations of tumour growth, this rule spontaneously recapitulates spatial segregation of CSCs in clusters and their stable proportion. We further show in vivo that CSC clustering protects the CSC pool from depletion driven by TAPs. We identify an EGFR-mediated relay mechanism that propagates the CSC-to-TAP transition across CSC clusters. In CSCs, the LRIG1-like EGFR inhibitor Kekkon1 dampens this propagation, ensuring continuous replenishment of the CSC pool. Collectively, these findings show how local fate regulation drives emergent segregation which in turn constrains CSC differentiation dynamics. This provides a conceptual framework to understand and exploit the tumour’s intrinsic differentiation potential by manipulating the determinants of its system-level features. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. Turing Centre for Living Systems (CENTURI) La Ligue Contre le Cancer, https://ror.org/00rkrv905, Equipe Labellisée LIGUE 2025 Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale, ANR-24-EXCI-0001, ANR-24-EXCI-0002, ANR-24-EXCI-0003, ANR-24-EXCI-0004, ANR-24-EXCI-0005 Agence Nationale de la Recherche under the France 2030 program, ANR-24-EXCI-0001, ANR-24-EXCI-0002, ANR-24-EXCI-0003, ANR-24-EXCI-0004, ANR-24-EXCI-0005 Centre South-ROCK, INCa-Cancer_18695

Using quantitative 3D mapping of cell state and cell neighbourhood in whole tumours, we show that cancer stem cells probability to differentiate is a quantifiable function of their neighbourhood, and that the differentiation signal is emitted by the surrounding differentiated cells.

Raphaël Clément reposted

Very happy to introduce jsPCA, a fast and interpretable computational framework for spatial transcriptomics that simultaneously identifies spatial domains and variable genes across multi-slice and multi-sample data.

Raphaël Clément reposted

🥇Sham Tlili has been awarded the CNRS 2025 Bronze Medal! She studies how physical forces shape living tissues by using mouse stem cell models known as gastruloids. A unique blend of physics & biology. 🔗 Read more: www.ibdm.univ-amu.fr/sham-tlili-w...

ibdm.univ-amu.frSham Tlili, winner of the CNRS 2025 bronze medal - IBDM | Institut de Biologie du Développement de MarseilleA distinction that rewards a promising and already fruitful scientific career.

Raphaël Clément reposted

🚨 PhD Opportunity! 🚨 Passionate about ovarian biology? This cutting-edge PhD project combines live-cell microscopy & biophysical modelling to explore the dynamic ovary! 🧬🔬 I'm happy to chat more—DM or email me to set up a Zoom call 📩 And please share! 🙌🏼 christopher.thomas@univ-amu.fr

Raphaël Clément reposted

Very happy to see our paper published! rdcu.be/dY48Q We developed a new spatial data analysis approach, "joint spatial PCA", to analyze the single cell morphometrics pattern in the early heart development. Our approach revealed the role of T-box genes in the second heart field. 1/n

rdcu.beSingle-cell morphometrics reveals T-box gene-dependent patterns of epithelial tension in the Second Heart fieldNature Communications - The embryonic heart tube undergoes elongation via the addition of progenitors from the second heart field, though how epithelial mechanics and genetics interact during this...

How insects unfold their wings ! rdcu.be/d28vT

rdcu.beMechanics of Drosophila wing deploymentNature Communications - Upon emerging from their pupal case, insects swiftly deploy their wings from a compact origami-like structure to a fully extended blade. Here, authors use a combination of...
Joel Marthelot@joelmarthelot.bsky.social

Fresh off the press, our work on wing deployment in Drosophila 🪰: www.nature.com/articles/s41... Work by: Simon Hadjaje, Ignacio Andrade-Silva, Marie-Julie Dalbe and Raphaël Clément

You are up to date.