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The mechanical anisotropy in a tissue promotes ordering in hexagonal cell packing
Kaoru Sugimura1, Shuji Ishihara
1Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (WPI-iCeMS), Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan.
Development (Cambridge, England)
|September 19, 2013
Summary
Mechanical forces guide cell packing in developing tissues. Extrinsic forces orient cell junctions, promoting rapid hexagonal patterns essential for tissue integrity.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Biophysics
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Epithelial tissues form honeycomb patterns for structural integrity.
- Cell packing geometry is regulated by mechanical and biochemical interactions.
- The orchestration of molecular, cellular, and mechanical dynamics for hexagonal packing remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate how mechanical forces regulate cellular dynamics for hexagonal cell packing.
- Understand the mechanism of robust hexagonal cell pattern development in Drosophila pupal wings.
Main Methods:
- Mechanical and genetic perturbations.
- Live imaging.
- Bayesian force inference.
Main Results:
- Tissue stress is oriented proximally-distally by extrinsic forces.
- Cells orient junctions with tissue stretching, balancing internal tension and external forces.
- Hexagonal array orientation mismatches are suppressed, enabling faster relaxation to the hexagonal pattern.
Conclusions:
- Mechanical anisotropy promotes ordering in cell packing geometry.
- Tissue stretching directs cell junction orientation, stabilizing hexagonal packing.
- This mechanism ensures robust development of hexagonal cell patterns.
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