Epithelial cell-cell interactions in an overcrowded environment: jamming or live cell extrusion

Area of Science:

• Cell biology
• Biophysics
• Tissue engineering

Background:

• Epithelial tissues actively regulate mechanical stress from collective cell migration.
• Stress components (compressive, tensional, shear) arise from wetting/dewetting dynamics.
• Cell-cell interactions are modulated by compressive stress, impacting cell behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the physical aspects of cell-cell interactions in epithelial tissues.
• To elucidate mechanisms of cell jamming and extrusion under mechanical stress.
• To understand how cells reduce compressive mechanical stress.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on mechanical stress in epithelial tissues.
• Analysis of physical factors influencing cell-cell interactions.
• Examination of signaling pathways triggered by mechanical stress.

Main Results:

• Increased compressive stress enhances cell-cell interactions, leading to jamming or extrusion.
• Topological defects in cell alignment correlate with live cell extrusion.
• Collective cell extrusion depends on cell type, matrix stiffness, and boundary conditions.

Conclusions:

• Cell-cell interactions are crucial for rearrangement in crowded epithelial environments.
• Further research into the physical aspects of these interactions is needed.
• Understanding stress regulation is vital for morphogenesis, wound healing, and cancer suppression.