Proliferation symmetry breaking in growing tissues

Morphogenesis of developing tissues results from anisotropic growth, typically driven by polarized patterns of gene expression. Here, we propose a self-organized model of anisotropic growth driven by feedback between cell polarity, mechanical pressure, and cell division rates. Specifically, cell polarity alignment can induce spontaneous symmetry breaking in proliferation, resulting from the anisotropic distribution of mechanical pressure in the tissue. We show that proliferation anisotropy can be controlled by cellular elasticity, motility, and contact inhibition, elucidating the fundamental design principles for anisotropic morphogenesis.