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Three-dimensional Organotypic Cultures of Vestibular and Auditory Sensory Organs
Published on: June 1, 2018
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A Change in ECM Composition Affects Sensory Organ Mechanics and Function.
Abeer Hassan1, Liel Sapir1, Ido Nitsan1
1Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel.
Cell Reports
|May 23, 2019
Summary
Loss of Pericardin in fly chordotonal organs disrupts mechanical coupling, impairing proprioception. This study reveals how extracellular matrix integrity is crucial for mechanosensing.
Area of Science:
- Mechanobiology
- Neuroscience
- Biophysics
Background:
- Proprioception relies on converting muscle movement into nerve signals.
- Connective tissues, including extracellular matrix (ECM), link sensory neurons to muscles in proprioceptive organs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in fly chordotonal organ (ChO) mechanosensing.
- To understand how altered mechanical properties of the connective tissue affect sensory neuron signaling.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the fly chordotonal organ (ChO) as a model system.
- Studied the effects of Pericardin, a key ECM component, on ChO mechanics.
- Employed a simplified theoretical model of elastic components under compression.
Main Results:
- Loss of Pericardin led to altered ChO mechanical properties.
- Accessory cells exhibited short-wavelength buckling during muscle contraction.
- Reduced compressive strain and interference with deformation propagation to the neuron were observed.
Conclusions:
- Pericardin is essential for maintaining the mechanical integrity of the ChO's connective tissue.
- Altered mechanical properties, specifically the shift from compression to bending, disrupt mechanotransduction.
- Proper ECM function is critical for accurate proprioceptive signaling.
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