Two-phase kinetics and cell cortex elastic behavior in Xenopus gastrula cell-cell adhesion

Area of Science:

• Developmental Biology
• Biophysics
• Cell Biology

Background:

• Morphogenetic movements rely on dynamic cell-cell contacts.
• Existing models describe equilibrium states of cell adhesion.
• Understanding contact formation kinetics is crucial for developmental processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To extend biophysical models of cell adhesion to kinetics.
• To investigate the timescales of cell-contact formation and stabilization.
• To identify key cellular parameters governing adhesion kinetics.

Main Methods:

• Studied aggregating Xenopus embryonic cells.
• Analyzed Ca2+-independent and cadherin-dependent contact states.
• Developed a biophysical model integrating cytoskeletal parameters.

Main Results:

• Cells rapidly form Ca2+-independent low-contact states.
• Transitions to cadherin-dependent high-contact states exhibit slow area growth.
• Model quantitatively predicted contact growth based on cellular and cytoskeletal parameters.

Conclusions:

• Elastic resistance and cytoskeletal turnover are key to adhesion kinetics.
• Low and high contact states have distinct, order-of-magnitude differing timescales (minutes vs. tens of minutes).
• These timescales provide insight into cell-rearrangement-dependent tissue movements.