A framework for connecting gene expression to morphogenetic movements in embryos.

Although much has been learned about genetic networks, cell mechanics, and whole-embryo mechanics through experimental and computational studies, the challenge of connecting these separate bodies of knowledge into an integrated whole remains. Here, we offer a multiscale biochemical-mechanical framework from which such integration might proceed. We identify components of the framework for which quantitative descriptions are currently available, and use the framework to gain insight into convergent extension and gastrulation--crucial tissue movements that occur in early stage amphibian embryos.