Tissue organization and morphogen gradients dynamically tune one another

Nature Cell Biology, Published online: 25 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41556-026-01987-9 During embryogenesis, morphogen signalling is known to pattern tissues as they remodel. Using genetic and optogenetic perturbations, together with theoretical frameworks of phase transitions and biochemical networks, we uncovered an autoregulatory feedback loop between morphogen gradients and the tissue material state. This work shows that spatial patterning can originate from tissue-scale physical properties.