Mechanochemical feedback loops in contact-dependent fate patterning
T Dullweber1,2, A Erzberger1,2
1Cell Biology and Biophysics Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Meyerhofstraße 1, Heidelberg, 69117, Germany.
Current Opinion in Systems Biology
|April 24, 2023
Summary
Multicellular systems use mechanochemical feedback, integrating biochemical signals and physical forces, to build functional structures. This review explores how Notch signaling and cell mechanics guide development and pattern formation.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Biophysics
- Systems Biology
Background:
- Multicellular systems rely on intricate interactions between biochemical signaling, mechanics, and morphology for functional structure formation.
- Cell-cell contact-dependent signaling pathways, such as Notch signaling, play crucial roles in cell fate decisions.
- Cell differentiation processes often involve significant remodeling of cell-cell contacts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the role of mechanochemical feedback loops in multicellular development.
- To compare mechanisms of symmetry breaking and pattern refinement driven by these feedback loops.
- To discuss the influence of biochemical and mechanical timescales on developmental patterning outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of mechanochemical feedback in developmental systems.
- Comparative analysis of different symmetry breaking and pattern refinement mechanisms.
- Discussion of the interplay between biochemical signaling and mechanical forces.
Main Results:
- Mechanochemical feedback, particularly involving Notch signaling, is critical for cell fate decisions and subsequent contact remodeling.
- Patterning outcomes are sensitive to the relative timescales of biochemical and mechanical processes.
- Various mechanisms contribute to initial symmetry breaking and pattern refinement in developing systems.
Conclusions:
- Mechanochemical feedback is a fundamental principle in the formation and maintenance of functional multicellular structures.
- Understanding the interplay between signaling, mechanics, and morphology is key to deciphering developmental processes.
- Future research directions include studying synthetic circuits and advancing experimental and theoretical approaches to harness mechanochemical feedback.
Related Concept Videos
01:13Cell-matrix's Response to Mechanical Forces
2.7K
In animal cells, the extracellular matrix allows cells within tissues to withstand external stresses and transmits signals from the outside of the cell to the inside. The extracellular matrix is extensive, and its composition varies between different types of tissues. For example, the reticular fibers and ground substance make up the ECM in loose connective tissue, while collagen and bone minerals make up the ECM of bone tissue.
Anchoring junctions mechanically attach a cell to the...
Anchoring junctions mechanically attach a cell to the...
2.7K
01:07Cell Signaling Feedback Loops
6.4K
Positive and negative feedback loops are crucial for regulating biological signaling systems. These feedback loops are processes that connect output signals to their inputs.
Negative feedback loops
Most signaling systems have negative feedback loops that can perform different functions such as output limiter, and adaptation.
Output limiter
Upon receiving an input signal, the cellular response rapidly increases until a threshold is reached. Beyond this threshold, a negative feedback loop...
Negative feedback loops
Most signaling systems have negative feedback loops that can perform different functions such as output limiter, and adaptation.
Output limiter
Upon receiving an input signal, the cellular response rapidly increases until a threshold is reached. Beyond this threshold, a negative feedback loop...
6.4K
01:32Cytoskeletal Coordination in Cell Migration
4.8K
A migrating cell changes its shape during the cyclic events of attachment and detachment from the substratum and repositions the cell organelles correspondingly. These complex events are orchestrated by the dynamic cytoskeletal network comprising actin filaments, intermediate filaments, and microtubules. Cytoskeletal crosstalk — the direct and indirect communication between the different components — is crucial for this coordination. Direct communication involves various linker...
4.8K
01:26Tension Response at Adherens Junctions
2.7K
The adherens junctions that anchor cells together are multi-protein complexes that dynamically adapt to mechanical stimuli such as tensile forces and shear stress. Mechanosensory proteins in these junctions can sense such mechanical stimuli and undergo a shift in their conformation, resulting in an altered function — a process called mechanotransduction.
α-Catenin as a Mechanosensory Protein
The α-catenin of adherens junctions is an allosteric protein with three VH (vinculin...
α-Catenin as a Mechanosensory Protein
The α-catenin of adherens junctions is an allosteric protein with three VH (vinculin...
2.7K
01:51Determination
18.6K
During embryogenesis, cells become progressively committed to different fates through a two-step process: specification followed by determination. Specification is demonstrated by removing a segment of an early embryo, “neutrally” culturing the tissue in vitro—for example, in a petri dish with simple medium—and then observing the derivatives. If the cultured region gives rise to cell types that it would normally generate in the embryo, this means that it is specified. In...
18.6K
01:19Contact-dependent Signaling
44.8K
Contact-dependent signaling, as the name suggests, requires that communicating cells be in direct contact with each other. This is achieved either through receptor-ligand interactions or by specialized cytoplasmic channels that allow the flow of small molecules between cells. In animal cells, channels called gap junctions facilitate contact-dependent signaling in certain tissues, whereas, plasmodesmata perform a similar function in plants.
Gap Junctions
In animal cells, gap junctions are formed...
Gap Junctions
In animal cells, gap junctions are formed...
44.8K