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Related Experiment Video

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Engineering Three-dimensional Epithelial Tissues Embedded within Extracellular Matrix
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Emergent material properties of developing epithelial tissues.

Pedro F Machado1, Julia Duque2, Jocelyn Étienne3,4

  • 1Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EH, UK.

BMC Biology
|November 25, 2015
PubMed
Summary

This study introduces a new method to measure cell mechanics during tissue development. We found that epithelial cells behave like contractile viscoelastic fluids, with stiffness and stress increasing over time.

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Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Developmental Biology
  • Cell Mechanics

Background:

  • Measuring in vivo cell and tissue mechanical properties during morphogenesis is challenging.
  • Existing methods often rely on disruptive manipulation, limiting insights into stress-strain relationships.
  • The Drosophila amnioserosa epithelium undergoes progressive contraction during dorsal closure, driven by pulsatile cell contractions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a novel framework for continuously measuring epithelial cell mechanical properties in vivo during morphogenesis.
  • To link pulsatile cell contractions to tissue-level morphogenetic movements.
  • To understand the relationship between myosin activity, stress, and strain in developing tissues.

Main Methods:

  • Developed a novel framework to continuously measure mechanical properties of epithelial cells in vivo.
  • Used myosin fluorescence intensity as a proxy for active force generation.
  • Analyzed the hysteresis loop relating stress to strain under cyclic loading.
  • Applied linear viscoelastic rheology to describe cell behavior at relevant timescales.

Main Results:

  • Epithelial cells exhibit linear behavior with a lag between myosin intensity and strain.
  • Amnioserosa cells function as contractile viscoelastic fluids.
  • Tissue stiffness doubles during dorsal closure as net contraction begins.
  • Both apicomedial and junctional stress increase, with apicomedial stress rising approximately twice as much.

Conclusions:

  • Epithelial tissue stiffness and stress are coupled during net contraction.
  • Medial actomyosin systems drive apical contraction, with stress increasing more than stiffness.
  • Junctional mechanical properties remain constant, maintaining a stable contribution to deformation.
  • Increased myosin activity likely drives changes in medioapical properties, regulating contraction rates.