Medioapical contractile pulses coordinated between cells regulate Drosophila eye morphogenesis

Area of Science:

• Developmental biology
• Cell biology
• Epithelial morphogenesis

Background:

• Lattice cells (LCs) in Drosophila retina undergo shape changes during development.
• Previous work identified apical cell contact dynamics as a factor in LC shape changes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role of medioapical actomyosin rings in Drosophila retinal cell shape dynamics.
• To elucidate the mechanism of Rho1 signaling in regulating cell area contraction and relaxation.

Main Methods:

• Observation of Rho1-dependent medioapical actomyosin ring assembly.
• Analysis of cell area changes, contraction, and relaxation dynamics.
• Investigation of Rho1 signaling sensitivity to mechanical cues and RhoGAP71E accumulation.

Main Results:

• A Rho1-dependent medioapical actomyosin ring contracts apical cell area.
• Pulsatile cell area contraction and relaxation cycles exert force on neighboring LCs.
• Rho1 signaling is mechanically sensitive, with reciprocal synchronization between adjacent LCs.
• Disruption of pulsing kinetics leads to developmental errors.

Conclusions:

• Mechanically sensitive Rho1 signaling controls pulsatile actomyosin contraction.
• This signaling coordinates cell behavior for proper epithelial morphogenesis.
• The process is crucial for retinal cell shape, tissue integrity, and development.