Highlighted publications

How to build intestinal villi

The small intestine is covered by millions of villi, finger-like structures that increase the overall absorptive surface area and are essential for proper digestion. We uncovered a mechanical mechanism that breaks symmetry in the fetal gut to initiate the formation of these essential structures. Remarkably, we found that this process cell occurs analogously to the way by which water forms droplets on your windshield. Hence the name, “mesenchymal dewetting”!

Huycke et al., Cell, 2024

How to organize muscle

Our muscles are organized into highly aligned fibers that are essential for force generation. For example, the gastrointestinal tract is surrounded by layers of smooth muscle that coordinately contract to propel nutrients from one end of the gut to the other (hopefully in the right direction!). We uncovered how molecularly-mediated patterning is coupled with tissue mechanics to “force” these muscles into their proper organization so that you can enjoy your food. 

Huycke et al., Cell, 2019

How to grow bone

Our bones are intricately shaped - tailored to their unique physiological functions. How are these distinct shapes, patterns, and sizes determined? We studied the development of a dermal bone within the zebrafish craniofacial skeleton and found that Hedgehog signaling specifically coordinates growth along one edge of the bone. This mechanistically enables growth modularity, such that the growth along a single axis can be decoupled by the others so as to allow non-uniform expansion and unique morphologies to arise.

Huycke et al., Development, 2012

All Publications

  • Hox gene activity directs physical forces to differentially shape chick small and large intestinal epithelia
    Gill HK, Yin S, Nerurkar NL, Lawlor JC, Lee C, Huycke TR, Mahadevan L, Tabin CJ.
    Developmental Cell (2024). PubMed PMID: 39116876

  • The developmental mechanics of divergent buckling patterns in the chick gut
    Gill HK, Yin S, Lawlor JC, Huycke TR, Nerurkar NL, Tabin CJ, Mahadevan L.
    PNAS (2024). PubMed PMID: 38968105

  • Patterning and folding of intestinal villi by active mesenchymal dewetting
    Huycke TR*, Häkkinen TJ*, Miyazaki H*, Srivastava V, Barruet E, McGinnis CS, Kalantari A, Cornwall-Scoones J, Vaka D, Zhu Q, Jo H, DeGrado WF, Thomson M, Garikipati K, Boffelli D, Klein OD, Gartner ZJ. *Equal Contribution
    Cell (2024). PubMed PMID: 38781967

  • An interview with Tyler Huycke
    Routledge, D.
    Development Interview Article (2022).

  • Setting boundaries for tissue patterning
    Huycke TR, Gartner ZJ.
    Science Perspective Article (2022).

  • Organoid models for mammary gland dynamics and breast cancer
    Srivastava V, Huycke TR, Phong KT, Gartner ZJ.
    Curr Opin Cell Biol Review Article (2020).

  • Genetic and mechanical regulation of intestinal smooth muscle development
    Huycke TR, Miller BM, Gill HK, Nerurkar NL, Sprinzak D, Mahadevan L, Tabin CJ.
    Cell (2019).

  • Chick Midgut Morphogenesis
    Huycke TR, Tabin CJ.
    International Journal of Developmental Biology - Invited Review (2018).

  • Scaling Pattern to Variations in Size during Development of the Vertebrate Neural Tube
    Uygur A, Young J, Huycke TR, Koska M, Briscoe J, Tabin CJ.
    Developmental Cell (2016)

  • Bending gradients: how the intestinal stem cell gets its home
    Shyer AE, Huycke TR, Lee C, Mahadevan L, Tabin CJ.
    Cell (2015).

  • Role of mef2ca in developmental buffering of the zebrafish larval hyoid dermal skeleton
    DeLaurier A*, Huycke TR*, Nichols JT, Swartz ME, Larsen A, Walker C, Dowd J, Pan L, Moens CB, Kimmel CB. *Equal Contribution
    Developmental Biology (2014)

  • FishFace: interactive atlas of zebrafish craniofacial development at cellular resolution
    Eames BF, DeLaurier A, Ullmann B, Huycke TR, Nichols JT, Dowd J, McFadden M, Sasaki MM, Kimmel CB
    BMC Developmental Biology (2013).

  • fras1 shapes endodermal pouch 1 and stabilizes zebrafish pharyngeal skeletal development
    Talbot JC, Walker MB, Carney TJ, Huycke TR, Yan YL, BreMiller RA, Gai L, Delaurier A, Postlethwait JH, Hammerschmidt M, Kimmel CB.
    Development (2012)

  • Hedgehog-dependent proliferation drives modular growth during morphogenesis of a dermal bone
    Huycke TR, Eames BF, Kimmel CB
    Development Featured Article (2012).