MORPHOGENESIS AND MECHANICAL INSTABILITY OF A PRESTRESSED TISSUE

We consider the issue of whether purely mechanical properties of biolo gical systems can, in principle, play a significant role in morphogene sis. As a simple example, we model a spherically arranged epithelium t hat is symmetrically prestressed under the action of cytoskeletal elem ents. A three-dimensional exact bifurcation analysis indicates the exi stence of a critical radius beyond which, for a physiologically attain able prestress, the spherical organoid is mechanically unstable and wi ll buckle. We conclude that the purely mechanical aspects of biologica l tissues may indeed play a role in morphogenesis.