Polarized microtubule dynamics directs cell mechanics and coordinates forces during epithelial morphogenesis

Area of Science:

• Cell Biology
• Developmental Biology
• Biophysics

Background:

• Cytoskeletal rearrangements generate forces crucial for cell and tissue morphogenesis.
• The role of non-actin cytoskeletal components, particularly microtubules, in generating mechanical forces remains less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role of microtubules in cell mechanics during tissue morphogenesis.
• To elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which microtubules influence tissue-level forces and cell behavior.

Main Methods:

• Studied early Drosophila wing epithelium development.
• Utilized techniques to acutely eliminate microtubule-based forces.
• Investigated the Fat planar cell polarity (Ft-PCP) signaling pathway and its interaction with microtubules.

Main Results:

• Individual cells in the Drosophila wing epithelium are mechanically autonomous.
• A polarized apical non-centrosomal microtubule cytoskeleton bears compressive forces, and its elimination causes cell shortening.
• The Ft-PCP pathway links microtubules at adherens junctions, patterning forces across the tissue via transcellular stability.

Conclusions:

• Microtubules are central to cell mechanics during tissue morphogenesis.
• The Ft-PCP pathway provides a molecular link between single-cell microtubule organization and tissue-wide force generation.
• This study offers a physical framework for understanding how microtubule patterning controls collective cell behavior in remodeling tissues.