Tasks: In this DFG-funded project, the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying epithelial morphogenesis in animal development will be explored. Using Drosophila as a model organism, the role of the extracellular matrix and the actin cytoskeleton during the folding of the larval wing imaginal disc will be analyzed using genetic, optogenetic, cell biological and RNA sequencing methods. Moreover, cell behavior during this morphogenetic process will be investigated using modern microscopic techniques and computer-assisted quantitative image analysis.