Tissue rigidity phase transition shapes morphogen gradients

Nature Cell Biology, Published online: 14 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41556-026-01954-4 Autorino et al. report a feedback loop between Nodal signalling and tissue phase transitions in zebrafish embryos. Nodal alters adhesion, triggering tissue rigidification and reduced porosity, which limits its diffusion and speeds up Lefty expression.