Nature of active forces in tissues: how contractile cells can form extensile monolayers

Archive ouverte

Balasubramaniam, Lakshmi | Doostmohammadi, Amin | Saw, Thuan Beng | Sankara Narayana, Gautham Hari Narayana | Mueller, Romain | Dang, Tien | Thomas, Minnah | Gupta, Shafali | Sonam, Surabhi | Yap, Alpha | Toyama, Yusuke | Mège, René-Marc | Yeomans, Julia | Ladoux, Benoit

Edité par CCSD -

Actomyosin machinery endows cells with contractility at a single cell level. However, at a tissue scale, cells can show either contractile or extensile behaviour based on the direction of pushing or pulling forces due to neighbour interactions or substrate interactions. Previous studies have shown that a monolayer of fibroblasts behaves as a contractile system 1 while a monolayer of epithelial cells 2,3 or neural crest cells behaves as an extensile system. 4 How these two contradictory sources of force generation can coexist has remained unexplained. Through a combination of experiments using MDCK (Madin Darby Canine Kidney) cells, and in-silico modeling, we uncover the mechanism behind this switch in behaviour of epithelial cell monolayers from extensile to contractile as the weakening of intercellular contacts. We find that this switch in active behaviour also promotes the buildup of tension at the cell-substrate interface through an increase in actin stress fibers and higher traction forces. This in turn triggers a mechanotransductive response in vinculin translocation to focal adhesion sites and YAP (Yes-associated protein) transcription factor activation. Our studies also show that differences in extensility and contractility act to sort cells, thus determining a general mechanism for mechanobiological pattern formation during cell competition, morphogenesis and cancer progression.

Suggestions

Du même auteur

Investigating the nature of active forces in tissues reveals how contractile cells can form extensile monolayers

Archive ouverte | Balasubramaniam, Lakshmi | CCSD

International audience

Sustained Oscillations of Epithelial Cell Sheets

Archive ouverte | Peyret, Grégoire | CCSD

International audience

Mechanical stress driven by rigidity sensing governs epithelial stability

Archive ouverte | Sonam, Surabhi | CCSD

Abstract Epithelia act as a barrier against environmental stress and abrasion and i n vivo they are continuously exposed to environments of various mechanical properties. The impact of this environment on epithelial integrity rema...

Chargement des enrichissements...