A spontaneous strain mediated mechanical model of the Drosophila wing disc eversion

Spatially inhomogeneous patterns of local deformations are believed to play an important role in the establishment of global shape change during the development of an embryo. The Drosophila wing imaginal disc is a convenient model system for the study of such patterns and their role in determining shape. A flat epithelial monolayer tissue during the larval stage, the wing imaginal disc grows into a hemispherical dome during pupariation, which then flattens to grow into the wing of the adult fly. This process is known as wing disc eversion. We have analyzed the spatial distribution of individual cell properties, such as apical area, and how these patterns change during eversion. Using a spontaneous strain-mediated mechanical spring lattice model, we test whether the changing spatial distribution of cell properties is enough to explain the emergent shape of wing disc eversion.