1
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Wang X, Cupo CM, Ostvar S, Countryman AD, Kasza KE. E-cadherin tunes tissue mechanical behavior before and during morphogenetic tissue flows. Curr Biol 2024:S0960-9822(24)00822-4. [PMID: 39013464 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.06.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Revised: 04/02/2024] [Accepted: 06/14/2024] [Indexed: 07/18/2024]
Abstract
Adhesion between epithelial cells enables the remarkable mechanical behavior of epithelial tissues during morphogenesis. However, it remains unclear how cell-cell adhesion influences mechanics in both static and dynamically flowing confluent epithelial tissues. Here, we systematically modulate E-cadherin-mediated adhesion in the Drosophila embryo and study the effects on the mechanical behavior of the germband epithelium before and during dramatic tissue remodeling and flow associated with body axis elongation. Before axis elongation, we find that increasing E-cadherin levels produces tissue comprising more elongated cells and predicted to be more fluid-like, providing reduced resistance to tissue flow. During axis elongation, we find that the dominant effect of E-cadherin is tuning the speed at which cells proceed through rearrangement events. Before and during axis elongation, E-cadherin levels influence patterns of actomyosin-dependent forces, supporting the notion that E-cadherin tunes tissue mechanics in part through effects on actomyosin. Notably, the effects of ∼4-fold changes in E-cadherin levels on overall tissue structure and flow are relatively weak, suggesting that the system is tolerant to changes in absolute E-cadherin levels over this range where an intact tissue is formed. Taken together, these findings reveal dual-and sometimes opposing-roles for E-cadherin-mediated adhesion in controlling tissue structure and dynamics in vivo, which result in unexpected relationships between adhesion and flow in confluent tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xun Wang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Christian M Cupo
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Sassan Ostvar
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Andrew D Countryman
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Karen E Kasza
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA.
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2
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Ray T, Shi D, Harris TJC. Confinement promotes nematic alignment of spindle-shaped cells during Drosophila embryogenesis. Development 2024; 151:dev202577. [PMID: 38864272 PMCID: PMC11234378 DOI: 10.1242/dev.202577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024]
Abstract
Tissue morphogenesis is often controlled by actomyosin networks pulling on adherens junctions (AJs), but junctional myosin levels vary. At an extreme, the Drosophila embryo amnioserosa forms a horseshoe-shaped strip of aligned, spindle-shaped cells lacking junctional myosin. What are the bases of amnioserosal cell interactions and alignment? Compared with surrounding tissue, we find that amnioserosal AJ continuity has lesser dependence on α-catenin, the mediator of AJ-actomyosin association, and greater dependence on Bazooka/Par-3, a junction-associated scaffold protein. Microtubule bundles also run along amnioserosal AJs and support their long-range curvilinearity. Amnioserosal confinement is apparent from partial overlap of its spindle-shaped cells, its outward bulging from surrounding tissue and from compressive stress detected within the amnioserosa. Genetic manipulations that alter amnioserosal confinement by surrounding tissue also result in amnioserosal cells losing alignment and gaining topological defects characteristic of nematically ordered systems. With Bazooka depletion, confinement by surrounding tissue appears to be relatively normal and amnioserosal cells align despite their AJ fragmentation. Overall, the fully elongated amnioserosa appears to form through tissue-autonomous generation of spindle-shaped cells that nematically align in response to confinement by surrounding tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tirthankar Ray
- Department of Cell & Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G5, Canada
| | - Damo Shi
- Department of Cell & Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G5, Canada
| | - Tony J. C. Harris
- Department of Cell & Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G5, Canada
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3
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Blanchard GB, Scarpa E, Muresan L, Sanson B. Mechanical stress combines with planar polarised patterning during metaphase to orient embryonic epithelial cell divisions. Development 2024; 151:dev202862. [PMID: 38639390 PMCID: PMC11165716 DOI: 10.1242/dev.202862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024]
Abstract
The planar orientation of cell division (OCD) is important for epithelial morphogenesis and homeostasis. Here, we ask how mechanics and antero-posterior (AP) patterning combine to influence the first divisions after gastrulation in the Drosophila embryonic epithelium. We analyse hundreds of cell divisions and show that stress anisotropy, notably from compressive forces, can reorient division directly in metaphase. Stress anisotropy influences the OCD by imposing metaphase cell elongation, despite mitotic rounding, and overrides interphase cell elongation. In strongly elongated cells, the mitotic spindle adapts its length to, and hence its orientation is constrained by, the cell long axis. Alongside mechanical cues, we find a tissue-wide bias of the mitotic spindle orientation towards AP-patterned planar polarised Myosin-II. This spindle bias is lost in an AP-patterning mutant. Thus, a patterning-induced mitotic spindle orientation bias overrides mechanical cues in mildly elongated cells, whereas in strongly elongated cells the spindle is constrained close to the high stress axis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guy B Blanchard
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK
| | - Elena Scarpa
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK
| | - Leila Muresan
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK
- Cambridge Advanced Imaging Centre, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK
| | - Bénédicte Sanson
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK
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4
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Boutillon A, Banavar SP, Campàs O. Conserved physical mechanisms of cell and tissue elongation. Development 2024; 151:dev202687. [PMID: 38767601 PMCID: PMC11190436 DOI: 10.1242/dev.202687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
Living organisms have the ability to self-shape into complex structures appropriate for their function. The genetic and molecular mechanisms that enable cells to do this have been extensively studied in several model and non-model organisms. In contrast, the physical mechanisms that shape cells and tissues have only recently started to emerge, in part thanks to new quantitative in vivo measurements of the physical quantities guiding morphogenesis. These data, combined with indirect inferences of physical characteristics, are starting to reveal similarities in the physical mechanisms underlying morphogenesis across different organisms. Here, we review how physics contributes to shape cells and tissues in a simple, yet ubiquitous, morphogenetic transformation: elongation. Drawing from observed similarities across species, we propose the existence of conserved physical mechanisms of morphogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arthur Boutillon
- Cluster of Excellence Physics of Life, TU Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - Samhita P. Banavar
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA
| | - Otger Campàs
- Cluster of Excellence Physics of Life, TU Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, 01307 Dresden, Germany
- Center for Systems Biology Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany
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5
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Brauns F, Claussen NH, Lefebvre MF, Wieschaus EF, Shraiman BI. The Geometric Basis of Epithelial Convergent Extension. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.05.30.542935. [PMID: 37398061 PMCID: PMC10312603 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.30.542935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
Shape changes of epithelia during animal development, such as convergent extension, are achieved through concerted mechanical activity of individual cells. While much is known about the corresponding large scale tissue flow and its genetic drivers, fundamental questions regarding local control of contractile activity on cellular scale and its embryo-scale coordination remain open. To address these questions, we develop a quantitative, model-based analysis framework to relate cell geometry to local tension in recently obtained timelapse imaging data of gastrulating Drosophila embryos. This analysis provides a systematic decomposition of cell shape changes and T1-rearrangements into internally driven, active, and externally driven, passive, contributions. Our analysis provides evidence that germ band extension is driven by active T1 processes that self-organize through positive feedback acting on tensions. More generally, our findings suggest that epithelial convergent extension results from controlled transformation of internal force balance geometry which combines the effects of bottom-up local self-organization with the top-down, embryo-scale regulation by gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fridtjof Brauns
- Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA
| | - Nikolas H. Claussen
- Department of Physics, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA
| | - Matthew F. Lefebvre
- Department of Physics, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA
| | - Eric F. Wieschaus
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA; The Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Boris I. Shraiman
- Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA
- Department of Physics, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA
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6
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Wang X, Cupo CM, Ostvar S, Countryman AD, Kasza KE. E-cadherin tunes tissue mechanical behavior before and during morphogenetic tissue flows. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.07.592778. [PMID: 38766260 PMCID: PMC11100719 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.07.592778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
Adhesion between epithelial cells enables the remarkable mechanical behavior of epithelial tissues during morphogenesis. However, it remains unclear how cell-cell adhesion influences mechanics in static as well as in dynamically flowing epithelial tissues. Here, we systematically modulate E-cadherin-mediated adhesion in the Drosophila embryo and study the effects on the mechanical behavior of the germband epithelium before and during dramatic tissue remodeling and flow associated with body axis elongation. Before axis elongation, we find that increasing E-cadherin levels produces tissue comprising more elongated cells and predicted to be more fluid-like, providing reduced resistance to tissue flow. During axis elongation, we find that the dominant effect of E-cadherin is tuning the speed at which cells proceed through rearrangement events, revealing potential roles for E-cadherin in generating friction between cells. Before and during axis elongation, E-cadherin levels influence patterns of actomyosin-dependent forces, supporting the notion that E-cadherin tunes tissue mechanics in part through effects on actomyosin. Taken together, these findings reveal dual-and sometimes opposing-roles for E-cadherin-mediated adhesion in controlling tissue structure and dynamics in vivo that result in unexpected relationships between adhesion and flow.
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7
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Lye CM, Blanchard GB, Evans J, Nestor-Bergmann A, Sanson B. Polarised cell intercalation during Drosophila axis extension is robust to an orthogonal pull by the invaginating mesoderm. PLoS Biol 2024; 22:e3002611. [PMID: 38683880 PMCID: PMC11081494 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Revised: 05/09/2024] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024] Open
Abstract
As tissues grow and change shape during animal development, they physically pull and push on each other, and these mechanical interactions can be important for morphogenesis. During Drosophila gastrulation, mesoderm invagination temporally overlaps with the convergence and extension of the ectodermal germband; the latter is caused primarily by Myosin II-driven polarised cell intercalation. Here, we investigate the impact of mesoderm invagination on ectoderm extension, examining possible mechanical and mechanotransductive effects on Myosin II recruitment and polarised cell intercalation. We find that the germband ectoderm is deformed by the mesoderm pulling in the orthogonal direction to germband extension (GBE), showing mechanical coupling between these tissues. However, we do not find a significant change in Myosin II planar polarisation in response to mesoderm invagination, nor in the rate of junction shrinkage leading to neighbour exchange events. We conclude that the main cellular mechanism of axis extension, polarised cell intercalation, is robust to the mesoderm invagination pull. We find, however, that mesoderm invagination slows down the rate of anterior-posterior cell elongation that contributes to axis extension, counteracting the tension from the endoderm invagination, which pulls along the direction of GBE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire M. Lye
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Guy B. Blanchard
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Jenny Evans
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Alexander Nestor-Bergmann
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Bénédicte Sanson
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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8
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Feng X, Molteni H, Gregory M, Lanza J, Polsani N, Gupta I, Wyetzner R, Hawkins MB, Holmes G, Hopyan S, Harris MP, Atit RP. Apical expansion of calvarial osteoblasts and suture patency is dependent on fibronectin cues. Development 2024; 151:dev202371. [PMID: 38602508 PMCID: PMC11165720 DOI: 10.1242/dev.202371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
The skull roof, or calvaria, is comprised of interlocking plates of bones that encase the brain. Separating these bones are fibrous sutures that permit growth. Currently, we do not understand the instructions for directional growth of the calvaria, a process which is error-prone and can lead to skeletal deficiencies or premature suture fusion (craniosynostosis, CS). Here, we identify graded expression of fibronectin (FN1) in the mouse embryonic cranial mesenchyme (CM) that precedes the apical expansion of calvaria. Conditional deletion of Fn1 or Wasl leads to diminished frontal bone expansion by altering cell shape and focal actin enrichment, respectively, suggesting defective migration of calvarial progenitors. Interestingly, Fn1 mutants have premature fusion of coronal sutures. Consistently, syndromic forms of CS in humans exhibit dysregulated FN1 expression, and we also find FN1 expression altered in a mouse CS model of Apert syndrome. These data support a model of FN1 as a directional substrate for calvarial osteoblast migration that may be a common mechanism underlying many cranial disorders of disparate genetic etiologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaotian Feng
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Helen Molteni
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Megan Gregory
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Jennifer Lanza
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Nikaya Polsani
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Isha Gupta
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Rachel Wyetzner
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - M. Brent Hawkins
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Department of Orthopedics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Greg Holmes
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Sevan Hopyan
- Department of Developmental Biology, Hospital for Sick Kids, Toronto ON, M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Matthew P. Harris
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Department of Orthopedics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Radhika P. Atit
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
- Department of Genome Sciences and Genetics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
- Department of Dermatology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
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9
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Sun X, Decker J, Sanchez-Luege N, Rebay I. Inter-plane feedback coordinates cell morphogenesis and maintains 3D tissue organization in the Drosophila pupal retina. Development 2024; 151:dev201757. [PMID: 38533736 PMCID: PMC11006395 DOI: 10.1242/dev.201757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024]
Abstract
How complex organs coordinate cellular morphogenetic events to achieve three-dimensional (3D) form is a central question in development. The question is uniquely tractable in the late Drosophila pupal retina, where cells maintain stereotyped contacts as they elaborate the specialized cytoskeletal structures that pattern the apical, basal and longitudinal planes of the epithelium. In this study, we combined cell type-specific genetic manipulation of the cytoskeletal regulator Abelson (Abl) with 3D imaging to explore how the distinct cellular morphogenetic programs of photoreceptors and interommatidial pigment cells (IOPCs) organize tissue pattern to support retinal integrity. Our experiments show that photoreceptor and IOPC terminal differentiation is unexpectedly interdependent, connected by an intercellular feedback mechanism that coordinates and promotes morphogenetic change across orthogonal tissue planes to ensure correct 3D retinal pattern. We propose that genetic regulation of specialized cellular differentiation programs combined with inter-plane mechanical feedback confers spatial coordination to achieve robust 3D tissue morphogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Sun
- Committee on Development, Regeneration and Stem Cell Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Jacob Decker
- Committee on Development, Regeneration and Stem Cell Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Nicelio Sanchez-Luege
- Committee on Development, Regeneration and Stem Cell Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Ilaria Rebay
- Committee on Development, Regeneration and Stem Cell Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
- Ben May Department for Cancer Research, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
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10
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Cupo C, Allan C, Ailiani V, Kasza KE. Signatures of structural disorder in developing epithelial tissues. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.12.579900. [PMID: 38405955 PMCID: PMC10888831 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.12.579900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Epithelial cells generate functional tissues in developing embryos through collective movements and shape changes. In some morphogenetic events, a tissue dramatically reorganizes its internal structure - often generating high degrees of structural disorder - to accomplish changes in tissue shape. However, the origins of structural disorder in epithelia and what roles it might play in morphogenesis are poorly understood. We study this question in the Drosophila germband epithelium, which undergoes dramatic changes in internal structure as cell rearrangements drive elongation of the embryo body axis. Using two order parameters that quantify volumetric and shear disorder, we show that structural disorder increases during body axis elongation and is strongly linked with specific developmental processes. Both disorder metrics begin to increase around the onset of axis elongation, but then plateau at values that are maintained throughout the process. Notably, the disorder plateau values for volumetric disorder are similar to those for random cell packings, suggesting this may reflect a limit on tissue behavior. In mutant embryos with disrupted external stresses from the ventral furrow, both disorder metrics reach wild-type maximum disorder values with a delay, correlating with delays in cell rearrangements. In contrast, in mutants with disrupted internal stresses and cell rearrangements, volumetric disorder is reduced compared to wild type, whereas shear disorder depends on specific external stress patterns. Together, these findings demonstrate that internal and external stresses both contribute to epithelial tissue disorder and suggest that the maximum values of disorder in a developing tissue reflect physical or biological limits on morphogenesis.
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11
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Collinet C, Bailles A, Dehapiot B, Lecuit T. Mechanical regulation of substrate adhesion and de-adhesion drives a cell-contractile wave during Drosophila tissue morphogenesis. Dev Cell 2024; 59:156-172.e7. [PMID: 38103554 PMCID: PMC10783558 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2023.11.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Revised: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
During morphogenesis, mechanical forces induce large-scale deformations; yet, how forces emerge from cellular contractility and adhesion is unclear. In Drosophila embryos, a tissue-scale wave of actomyosin contractility coupled with adhesion to the surrounding vitelline membrane drives polarized tissue invagination. We show that this process emerges subcellularly from the mechanical coupling between myosin II activation and sequential adhesion/de-adhesion to the vitelline membrane. At the wavefront, integrin clusters anchor the actin cortex to the vitelline membrane and promote activation of myosin II, which in turn enhances adhesion in a positive feedback. Following cell detachment, cortex contraction and advective flow amplify myosin II. Prolonged contact with the vitelline membrane prolongs the integrin-myosin II feedback, increases integrin adhesion, and thus slows down cell detachment and wave propagation. The angle of cell detachment depends on adhesion strength and sets the tensile forces required for detachment. Thus, we document how the interplay between subcellular mechanochemical feedback and geometry drives tissue morphogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudio Collinet
- Aix Marseille Université & CNRS, IBDM - UMR7288 & Turing Centre for Living Systems, Campus de Luminy Case 907, 13288 Marseille, France.
| | - Anaïs Bailles
- Aix Marseille Université & CNRS, IBDM - UMR7288 & Turing Centre for Living Systems, Campus de Luminy Case 907, 13288 Marseille, France
| | - Benoit Dehapiot
- Aix Marseille Université & CNRS, IBDM - UMR7288 & Turing Centre for Living Systems, Campus de Luminy Case 907, 13288 Marseille, France
| | - Thomas Lecuit
- Aix Marseille Université & CNRS, IBDM - UMR7288 & Turing Centre for Living Systems, Campus de Luminy Case 907, 13288 Marseille, France; Collège de France, 11 Place Marcelin Berthelot, Paris, France.
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12
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Lefebvre M, Colen J, Claussen N, Brauns F, Raich M, Mitchell N, Fruchart M, Vitelli V, Streichan SJ. Learning a conserved mechanism for early neuroectoderm morphogenesis. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.12.22.573058. [PMID: 38187670 PMCID: PMC10769415 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.22.573058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2024]
Abstract
Morphogenesis is the process whereby the body of an organism develops its target shape. The morphogen BMP is known to play a conserved role across bilaterian organisms in determining the dorsoventral (DV) axis. Yet, how BMP governs the spatio-temporal dynamics of cytoskeletal proteins driving morphogenetic flow remains an open question. Here, we use machine learning to mine a morphodynamic atlas of Drosophila development, and construct a mathematical model capable of predicting the coupled dynamics of myosin, E-cadherin, and morphogenetic flow. Mutant analysis shows that BMP sets the initial condition of this dynamical system according to the following signaling cascade: BMP establishes DV pair-rule-gene patterns that set-up an E-cadherin gradient which in turn creates a myosin gradient in the opposite direction through mechanochemical feedbacks. Using neural tube organoids, we argue that BMP, and the signaling cascade it triggers, prime the conserved dynamics of neuroectoderm morphogenesis from fly to humans.
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13
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Clarke DN, Martin AC. EGFR-dependent actomyosin patterning coordinates morphogenetic movements between tissues. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.12.22.573057. [PMID: 38187543 PMCID: PMC10769333 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.22.573057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2024]
Abstract
The movements that give rise to the body's structure are powered by cell shape changes and rearrangements that are coordinated at supracellular scales. How such cellular coordination arises and integrates different morphogenetic programs is unclear. Using quantitative imaging, we found a complex pattern of adherens junction (AJ) levels in the ectoderm prior to gastrulation onset in Drosophila. AJ intensity exhibited a double-sided gradient, with peaks at the dorsal midline and ventral neuroectoderm. We show that this dorsal-ventral AJ pattern is regulated by epidermal growth factor (EGF) signaling and that this signal is required for ectoderm cell movement during mesoderm invagination and axis extension. We identify AJ levels and junctional actomyosin as downstream effectors of EGFR signaling. Overall, our study demonstrates a mechanism of coordination between tissue folding and convergent extension that facilitates embryo-wide gastrulation movements.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Adam C Martin
- Dept. of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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14
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Serra M, Serrano Nájera G, Chuai M, Plum AM, Santhosh S, Spandan V, Weijer CJ, Mahadevan L. A mechanochemical model recapitulates distinct vertebrate gastrulation modes. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadh8152. [PMID: 38055823 PMCID: PMC10699781 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adh8152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023]
Abstract
During vertebrate gastrulation, an embryo transforms from a layer of epithelial cells into a multilayered gastrula. This process requires the coordinated movements of hundreds to tens of thousands of cells, depending on the organism. In the chick embryo, patterns of actomyosin cables spanning several cells drive coordinated tissue flows. Here, we derive a minimal theoretical framework that couples actomyosin activity to global tissue flows. Our model predicts the onset and development of gastrulation flows in normal and experimentally perturbed chick embryos, mimicking different gastrulation modes as an active stress instability. Varying initial conditions and a parameter associated with active cell ingression, our model recapitulates distinct vertebrate gastrulation morphologies, consistent with recently published experiments in the chick embryo. Altogether, our results show how changes in the patterning of critical cell behaviors associated with different force-generating mechanisms contribute to distinct vertebrate gastrulation modes via a self-organizing mechanochemical process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mattia Serra
- Department of Physics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Guillermo Serrano Nájera
- Division of Cell and Developmental Biology, College of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Manli Chuai
- Division of Cell and Developmental Biology, College of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Alex M. Plum
- Department of Physics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Sreejith Santhosh
- Department of Physics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Vamsi Spandan
- School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Cornelis J. Weijer
- Division of Cell and Developmental Biology, College of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - L. Mahadevan
- School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- Departments of Physics, and Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
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15
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Kuebler CA, Paré AC. Striped Expression of Leucine-Rich Repeat Proteins Coordinates Cell Intercalation and Compartment Boundary Formation in the Early Drosophila Embryo. Symmetry (Basel) 2023; 15:1490. [PMID: 38650964 PMCID: PMC11034934 DOI: 10.3390/sym15081490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Planar polarity is a commonly observed phenomenon in which proteins display a consistent asymmetry in their subcellular localization or activity across the plane of a tissue. During animal development, planar polarity is a fundamental mechanism for coordinating the behaviors of groups of cells to achieve anisotropic tissue remodeling, growth, and organization. Therefore, a primary focus of developmental biology research has been to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying planar polarity in a variety of systems to identify conserved principles of tissue organization. In the early Drosophila embryo, the germband neuroectoderm epithelium rapidly doubles in length along the anterior-posterior axis through a process known as convergent extension (CE); it also becomes subdivided into tandem tissue compartments through the formation of compartment boundaries (CBs). Both processes are dependent on the planar polarity of proteins involved in cellular tension and adhesion. The enrichment of actomyosin-based tension and adherens junction-based adhesion at specific cell-cell contacts is required for coordinated cell intercalation, which drives CE, and the creation of highly stable cell-cell contacts at CBs. Recent studies have revealed a system for rapid cellular polarization triggered by the expression of leucine-rich-repeat (LRR) cell-surface proteins in striped patterns. In particular, the non-uniform expression of Toll-2, Toll-6, Toll-8, and Tartan generates local cellular asymmetries that allow cells to distinguish between cell-cell contacts oriented parallel or perpendicular to the anterior-posterior axis. In this review, we discuss (1) the biomechanical underpinnings of CE and CB formation, (2) how the initial symmetry-breaking events of anterior-posterior patterning culminate in planar polarity, and (3) recent advances in understanding the molecular mechanisms downstream of LRR receptors that lead to planar polarized tension and junctional adhesion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chloe A. Kuebler
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
| | - Adam C. Paré
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
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16
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Sakaguchi S, Mizuno S, Okochi Y, Tanegashima C, Nishimura O, Uemura T, Kadota M, Naoki H, Kondo T. Single-cell transcriptome atlas of Drosophila gastrula 2.0. Cell Rep 2023:112707. [PMID: 37433294 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Revised: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/13/2023] Open
Abstract
During development, positional information directs cells to specific fates, leading them to differentiate with their own transcriptomes and express specific behaviors and functions. However, the mechanisms underlying these processes in a genome-wide view remain ambiguous, partly because the single-cell transcriptomic data of early developing embryos containing accurate spatial and lineage information are still lacking. Here, we report a single-cell transcriptome atlas of Drosophila gastrulae, divided into 77 transcriptomically distinct clusters. We find that the expression profiles of plasma-membrane-related genes, but not those of transcription-factor genes, represent each germ layer, supporting the nonequivalent contribution of each transcription-factor mRNA level to effector gene expression profiles at the transcriptome level. We also reconstruct the spatial expression patterns of all genes at the single-cell stripe level as the smallest unit. This atlas is an important resource for the genome-wide understanding of the mechanisms by which genes cooperatively orchestrate Drosophila gastrulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shunta Sakaguchi
- Laboratory of Cell Recognition and Pattern Formation, Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Sonoko Mizuno
- Laboratory of Cell Recognition and Pattern Formation, Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Yasushi Okochi
- Laboratory of Theoretical Biology, Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan; Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Chiharu Tanegashima
- Laboratory for Phyloinformatics, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan
| | - Osamu Nishimura
- Laboratory for Phyloinformatics, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan
| | - Tadashi Uemura
- Laboratory of Cell Recognition and Pattern Formation, Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan; Center for Living Systems Information Science, Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Mitsutaka Kadota
- Laboratory for Phyloinformatics, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan
| | - Honda Naoki
- Laboratory of Theoretical Biology, Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan; Laboratory of Data-driven Biology, Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, Higashihiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8511, Japan; Theoretical Biology Research Group, Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8585, Japan
| | - Takefumi Kondo
- Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan; The Keihanshin Consortium for Fostering the Next Generation of Global Leaders in Research (K-CONNEX), Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan.
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17
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Schmidt A, Finegan T, Häring M, Kong D, Fletcher AG, Alam Z, Grosshans J, Wolf F, Peifer M. Polychaetoid/ZO-1 strengthens cell junctions under tension while localizing differently than core adherens junction proteins. Mol Biol Cell 2023; 34:ar81. [PMID: 37163320 PMCID: PMC10398881 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e23-03-0077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Revised: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/11/2023] Open
Abstract
During embryonic development, dramatic cell shape changes and movements reshape the embryonic body plan. These require robust but dynamic linkage between the cell-cell adherens junctions and the force-generating actomyosin cytoskeleton. Our view of this linkage has evolved, and we now realize linkage is mediated by mechanosensitive multiprotein complexes assembled via multivalent connections. Here we combine genetic, cell biological, and modeling approaches to define the mechanism of action and functions of an important player, Drosophila polychaetoid, homologue of mammalian ZO-1. Our data reveal that Pyd reinforces cell junctions under elevated tension, and facilitates cell rearrangements. Pyd is important to maintain junctional contractility and in its absence cell rearrangements stall. We next use structured illumination microscopy to define the molecular architecture of cell-cell junctions during these events. The cadherin-catenin complex and Cno both localize to puncta along the junctional membrane, but are differentially enriched in different puncta. Pyd, in contrast, exhibits a distinct localization to strands that extend out from the region occupied by core junction proteins. We then discuss the implications for the protein network at the junction-cytoskeletal interface, suggesting different proteins localize and function in distinct ways, perhaps in distinct subcomplexes, but combine to produce robust connections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anja Schmidt
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3280
| | - Tara Finegan
- Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627-0211
| | - Matthias Häring
- Göttingen Campus Institute for Dynamics of Biological Networks, Georg August University, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
- Institute for Dynamics of Complex Systems, Georg August University, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Deqing Kong
- Department of Biology, Philipps University, 35043 Marburg, Germany
| | - Alexander G Fletcher
- School of Mathematics and Statistics and Bateson Centre, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, United Kingdom
| | - Zuhayr Alam
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3280
| | - Jörg Grosshans
- Department of Biology, Philipps University, 35043 Marburg, Germany
| | - Fred Wolf
- Göttingen Campus Institute for Dynamics of Biological Networks, Georg August University, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
- Institute for Dynamics of Complex Systems, Georg August University, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Mark Peifer
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3280
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18
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Herrera-Perez RM, Cupo C, Allan C, Dagle AB, Kasza KE. Tissue flows are tuned by actomyosin-dependent mechanics in developing embryos. PRX LIFE 2023; 1:013004. [PMID: 38736460 PMCID: PMC11086709 DOI: 10.1103/prxlife.1.013004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/14/2024]
Abstract
Rapid epithelial tissue flows are essential to building and shaping developing embryos. However, the mechanical properties of embryonic epithelial tissues and the factors that control these properties are not well understood. Actomyosin generates contractile tensions and contributes to the mechanical properties of cells and cytoskeletal networks in vitro, but it remains unclear how the levels and patterns of actomyosin activity contribute to embryonic epithelial tissue mechanics in vivo. To dissect the roles of cell-generated tensions in the mechanics of flowing epithelial tissues, we use optogenetic tools to manipulate actomyosin contractility with spatiotemporal precision in the Drosophila germband epithelium, which rapidly flows during body axis elongation. We find that manipulating actomyosin-dependent tensions by either optogenetic activation or deactivation of actomyosin alters the solid-fluid mechanical properties of the germband epithelium, leading to changes in cell rearrangements and tissue-level flows. Optogenetically activating actomyosin leads to increases in the overall level but decreases in the anisotropy of tension in the tissue, whereas optogenetically deactivating actomyosin leads to decreases in both the level and anisotropy of tension compared to in wild-type embryos. We find that optogenetically activating actomyosin results in more solid-like (less fluid-like) tissue properties, which is associated with reduced cell rearrangements and tissue flow compared to in wild-type embryos. Optogenetically deactivating actomyosin also results in more solid-like properties than in wild-type embryos but less solid-like properties compared to optogenetically activating actomyosin. Together, these findings indicate that increasing the overall tension level is associated with more solid-like properties in tissues that are relatively isotropic, whereas high tension anisotropy fluidizes the tissue. Our results reveal that epithelial tissue flows in developing embryos involve the coordinated actomyosin-dependent regulation of the mechanical properties of tissues and the tensions driving them to flow in order to achieve rapid tissue remodeling.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Christian Cupo
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, New York, 10027, USA
| | - Cole Allan
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, New York, 10027, USA
| | - Alicia B Dagle
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, New York, 10027, USA
| | - Karen E Kasza
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, New York, 10027, USA
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19
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Sun X, Decker J, Sanchez-Luege N, Rebay I. Orthogonal coupling of a 3D cytoskeletal scaffold coordinates cell morphogenesis and maintains tissue organization in the Drosophila pupal retina. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.06.531386. [PMID: 36945525 PMCID: PMC10028844 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.06.531386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
How complex three-dimensional (3D) organs coordinate cellular morphogenetic events to achieve the correct final form is a central question in development. The question is uniquely tractable in the late Drosophila pupal retina where cells maintain stereotyped contacts as they elaborate the specialized cytoskeletal structures that pattern the apical, basal and longitudinal planes of the epithelium. In this study, we combined cell type-specific genetic manipulation of the cytoskeletal regulator Abelson (Abl) with 3D imaging to explore how the distinct cellular morphogenetic programs of photoreceptors and interommatidial pigment cells coordinately organize tissue pattern to support retinal integrity. Our experiments revealed an unanticipated intercellular feedback mechanism whereby correct cellular differentiation of either cell type can non-autonomously induce cytoskeletal remodeling in the other Abl mutant cell type, restoring retinal pattern and integrity. We propose that genetic regulation of specialized cellular differentiation programs combined with inter-plane mechanical feedback confers spatial coordination to achieve robust 3D tissue morphogenesis.
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20
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Schmidt A, Finegan T, Häring M, Kong D, Fletcher AG, Alam Z, Grosshans J, Wolf F, Peifer M. Polychaetoid/ZO-1 strengthens cell junctions under tension while localizing differently than core adherens junction proteins. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.01.530634. [PMID: 36909597 PMCID: PMC10002719 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.01.530634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/07/2023]
Abstract
During embryonic development dramatic cell shape changes and movements re-shape the embryonic body plan. These require robust but dynamic linkage between the cell-cell adherens junctions and the force-generating actomyosin cytoskeleton. Our view of this linkage has evolved, and we now realize linkage is mediated by a mechanosensitive multiprotein complex assembled via multivalent connections. Here we combine genetic, cell biological and modeling approaches to define the mechanism of action and functions of an important player, Drosophila Polychaetoid, homolog of mammalian ZO-1. Our data reveal that Pyd reinforces cell junctions under elevated tension, and facilitates cell rearrangements. Pyd is important to maintain junctional contractility and in its absence cell rearrangements stall. We next use structured illumination microscopy to define the molecular architecture of cell-cell junctions during these events. The cadherin-catenin complex and Cno both localize to puncta along the junctional membrane, but are differentially enriched in different puncta. Pyd, in contrast, exhibits a distinct localization to strands that extend out from the region occupied by core junction proteins. We then discuss the implications for the protein network at the junction-cytoskeletal interface, suggesting different proteins localize and function in distinct ways but combine to produce robust connections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anja Schmidt
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB#3280, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3280, USA
| | - Tara Finegan
- Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, USA 14627-0211
| | - Matthias Häring
- Göttingen Campus Institute for Dynamics of Biological Networks, Georg August University, Hermann Rein Str. 3, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, Am Faßberg 17, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Hermann Rein St. 3, 37075 Göttingen, German
- Institute for Dynamics of Complex Systems, Georg August University, Friedrich Hund Pl. 1, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Deqing Kong
- Department of Biology, Philipps University, Karl-von-Frisch-Straße 8, 35043 Marburg, Germany
| | - Alexander G Fletcher
- School of Mathematics and Statistics & Bateson Centre, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Zuhayr Alam
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB#3280, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3280, USA
| | - Jörg Grosshans
- Department of Biology, Philipps University, Karl-von-Frisch-Straße 8, 35043 Marburg, Germany
| | - Fred Wolf
- Göttingen Campus Institute for Dynamics of Biological Networks, Georg August University, Hermann Rein Str. 3, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, Am Faßberg 17, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Hermann Rein St. 3, 37075 Göttingen, German
- Institute for Dynamics of Complex Systems, Georg August University, Friedrich Hund Pl. 1, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Mark Peifer
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB#3280, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3280, USA
- Corresponding author
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21
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Wang J, Michel M, Bialas L, Pierini G, Dahmann C. Preferential recruitment and stabilization of Myosin II at compartment boundaries in Drosophila. J Cell Sci 2023; 136:286802. [PMID: 36718636 PMCID: PMC10022687 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.260447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The regulation of mechanical tension exerted at cell junctions guides cell behavior during tissue formation and homeostasis. Cell junctions along compartment boundaries, which are lineage restrictions separating cells with different fates and functions within tissues, are characterized by increased mechanical tension compared to that of cell junctions in the bulk of the tissue. Mechanical tension depends on the actomyosin cytoskeleton; however, the mechanisms by which mechanical tension is locally increased at cell junctions along compartment boundaries remain elusive. Here, we show that non-muscle Myosin II and F-actin transiently accumulate and mechanical tension is increased at cell junctions along the forming anteroposterior compartment boundary in the Drosophila melanogaster pupal abdominal epidermis. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching experiments showed that Myosin II accumulation correlated with its increased stabilization at these junctions. Moreover, photoconversion experiments indicated that Myosin II is preferentially recruited within cells to junctions along the compartment boundary. Our results indicate that the preferential recruitment and stabilization of Myosin II contribute to the initial build-up of mechanical tension at compartment boundaries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Wang
- School of Science, Technische Universität Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - Marcus Michel
- School of Science, Technische Universität Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - Lisa Bialas
- School of Science, Technische Universität Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - Giulia Pierini
- School of Science, Technische Universität Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - Christian Dahmann
- School of Science, Technische Universität Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany.,Cluster of Excellence Physics of Life, Technische Universität Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
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22
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Lefebvre MF, Claussen NH, Mitchell NP, Gustafson HJ, Streichan SJ. Geometric control of myosin II orientation during axis elongation. eLife 2023; 12:78787. [PMID: 36715100 PMCID: PMC9940909 DOI: 10.7554/elife.78787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The actomyosin cytoskeleton is a crucial driver of morphogenesis. Yet how the behavior of large-scale cytoskeletal patterns in deforming tissues emerges from the interplay of geometry, genetics, and mechanics remains incompletely understood. Convergent extension in Drosophila melanogaster embryos provides the opportunity to establish a quantitative understanding of the dynamics of anisotropic non-muscle myosin II. Cell-scale analysis of protein localization in fixed embryos suggests that gene expression patterns govern myosin anisotropy via complex rules. However, technical limitations have impeded quantitative and dynamic studies of this process at the whole embryo level, leaving the role of geometry open. Here, we combine in toto live imaging with quantitative analysis of molecular dynamics to characterize the distribution of myosin anisotropy and the corresponding genetic patterning. We found pair rule gene expression continuously deformed, flowing with the tissue frame. In contrast, myosin anisotropy orientation remained approximately static and was only weakly deflected from the stationary dorsal-ventral axis of the embryo. We propose that myosin is recruited by a geometrically defined static source, potentially related to the embryo-scale epithelial tension, and account for transient deflections by cytoskeletal turnover and junction reorientation by flow. With only one parameter, this model quantitatively accounts for the time course of myosin anisotropy orientation in wild-type, twist, and even-skipped embryos, as well as embryos with perturbed egg geometry. Geometric patterning of the cytoskeleton suggests a simple physical strategy to ensure a robust flow and formation of shape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew F Lefebvre
- Department of Physics, University of California, Santa BarbaraSanta BarbaraUnited States
| | - Nikolas H Claussen
- Department of Physics, University of California, Santa BarbaraSanta BarbaraUnited States
| | - Noah P Mitchell
- Department of Physics, University of California, Santa BarbaraSanta BarbaraUnited States
- Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa BarbaraSanta BarbaraUnited States
| | - Hannah J Gustafson
- Department of Physics, University of California, Santa BarbaraSanta BarbaraUnited States
- Biomolecular Science and Engineering, University of California, Santa BarbaraSanta BarbaraUnited States
| | - Sebastian J Streichan
- Department of Physics, University of California, Santa BarbaraSanta BarbaraUnited States
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23
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Chandran L, Backer W, Schleutker R, Kong D, Beati SAH, Luschnig S, Müller HAJ. Src42A is required for E-cadherin dynamics at cell junctions during Drosophila axis elongation. Development 2023; 150:286529. [PMID: 36628974 DOI: 10.1242/dev.201119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Src kinases are important regulators of cell adhesion. Here, we have explored the function of Src42A in junction remodelling during Drosophila gastrulation. Src42A is required for tyrosine phosphorylation at bicellular (bAJ) and tricellular (tAJ) junctions in germband cells, and localizes to hotspots of mechanical tension. The role of Src42A was investigated using maternal RNAi and CRISPR-Cas9-induced germline mosaics. We find that, during cell intercalations, Src42A is required for the contraction of junctions at anterior-posterior cell interfaces. The planar polarity of E-cadherin is compromised and E-cadherin accumulates at tricellular junctions after Src42A knockdown. Furthermore, we show that Src42A acts in concert with Abl kinase, which has also been implicated in cell intercalations. Our data suggest that Src42A is involved in two related processes: in addition to establishing tension generated by the planar polarity of MyoII, it may also act as a signalling factor at tAJs to control E-cadherin residence time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lenin Chandran
- Developmental Genetics, Institut für Biologie, Universität Kassel, 34132 Kassel, Germany
| | - Wilko Backer
- Institute for Integrative Cell Biology and Physiology, Cells in Motion Interfaculty Centre, Westfälische Wilhelms Universität Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Raphael Schleutker
- Institute for Integrative Cell Biology and Physiology, Cells in Motion Interfaculty Centre, Westfälische Wilhelms Universität Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Deqing Kong
- Developmental Genetics, Fachbereich Biologie, Philipps Universität Marburg, 35037 Marburg, Germany
| | - Seyed A H Beati
- Developmental Genetics, Institut für Biologie, Universität Kassel, 34132 Kassel, Germany
| | - Stefan Luschnig
- Institute for Integrative Cell Biology and Physiology, Cells in Motion Interfaculty Centre, Westfälische Wilhelms Universität Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - H-Arno J Müller
- Developmental Genetics, Institut für Biologie, Universität Kassel, 34132 Kassel, Germany
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24
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Contractile and expansive actin networks in Drosophila: Developmental cell biology controlled by network polarization and higher-order interactions. Curr Top Dev Biol 2023; 154:99-129. [PMID: 37100525 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2023.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/15/2023]
Abstract
Actin networks are central to shaping and moving cells during animal development. Various spatial cues activate conserved signal transduction pathways to polarize actin network assembly at sub-cellular locations and to elicit specific physical changes. Actomyosin networks contract and Arp2/3 networks expand, and to affect whole cells and tissues they do so within higher-order systems. At the scale of tissues, actomyosin networks of epithelial cells can be coupled via adherens junctions to form supracellular networks. Arp2/3 networks typically integrate with distinct actin assemblies, forming expansive composites which act in conjunction with contractile actomyosin networks for whole-cell effects. This review explores these concepts using examples from Drosophila development. First, we discuss the polarized assembly of supracellular actomyosin cables which constrict and reshape epithelial tissues during embryonic wound healing, germ band extension, and mesoderm invagination, but which also form physical borders between tissue compartments at parasegment boundaries and during dorsal closure. Second, we review how locally induced Arp2/3 networks act in opposition to actomyosin structures during myoblast cell-cell fusion and cortical compartmentalization of the syncytial embryo, and how Arp2/3 and actomyosin networks also cooperate for the single cell migration of hemocytes and the collective migration of border cells. Overall, these examples show how the polarized deployment and higher-order interactions of actin networks organize developmental cell biology.
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25
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Perez-Vale KZ, Yow KD, Gurley NJ, Greene M, Peifer M. Rap1 regulates apical contractility to allow embryonic morphogenesis without tissue disruption and acts in part via Canoe-independent mechanisms. Mol Biol Cell 2022; 34:ar7. [PMID: 36287827 PMCID: PMC9816648 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e22-05-0176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Embryonic morphogenesis is powered by dramatic changes in cell shape and arrangement driven by the cytoskeleton and its connections to adherens junctions. This requires robust linkage allowing morphogenesis without disrupting tissue integrity. The small GTPase Rap1 is a key regulator of cell adhesion, controlling both cadherin-mediated and integrin-mediated processes. We have defined multiple roles in morphogenesis for one Rap1 effector, Canoe/Afadin, which ensures robust junction-cytoskeletal linkage. We now ask what mechanisms regulate Canoe and other junction-cytoskeletal linkers during Drosophila morphogenesis, defining roles for Rap1 and one of its guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) regulators, Dizzy. Rap1 uses Canoe as one effector, regulating junctional planar polarity. However, Rap1 has additional roles in junctional protein localization and balanced apical constriction-in its absence, Bazooka/Par3 localization is fragmented, and cells next to mitotic cells apically constrict and invaginate, disrupting epidermal integrity. In contrast, the GEF Dizzy has phenotypes similar to but slightly less severe than Canoe loss, suggesting that this GEF regulates Rap1 action via Canoe. Taken together, these data reveal that Rap1 is a crucial regulator of morphogenesis, likely acting in parallel via Canoe and other effectors, and that different Rap1 GEFs regulate distinct functions of Rap1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kia Z. Perez-Vale
- Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
| | - Kristi D. Yow
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3280
| | - Noah J. Gurley
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3280
| | - Melissa Greene
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3280
| | - Mark Peifer
- Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599,Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599,Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3280,*Address correspondence to: Mark Peifer ()
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26
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Sheppard L, Green DG, Lerchbaumer G, Rothenberg KE, Fernandez-Gonzalez R, Tepass U. The α-Catenin mechanosensing M region is required for cell adhesion during tissue morphogenesis. J Cell Biol 2022; 222:213759. [PMID: 36520419 PMCID: PMC9757846 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.202108091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2021] [Revised: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
α-Catenin couples the cadherin-catenin complex to the actin cytoskeleton. The mechanosensitive α-Catenin M region undergoes conformational changes upon application of force to recruit interaction partners. Here, we took advantage of the tension landscape in the Drosophila embryo to define three different states of α-Catenin mechanosensing in support of cell adhesion. Low-, medium-, and high-tension contacts showed a corresponding recruitment of Vinculin and Ajuba, which was dependent on the α-Catenin M region. In contrast, the Afadin homolog Canoe acts in parallel to α-Catenin at bicellular low- and medium-tension junctions but requires an interaction with α-Catenin for its tension-sensitive enrichment at high-tension tricellular junctions. Individual M region domains make complex contributions to cell adhesion through their impact on interaction partner recruitment, and redundancies with the function of Canoe. Our data argue that α-Catenin and its interaction partners are part of a cooperative and partially redundant mechanoresponsive network that supports AJs remodeling during morphogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luka Sheppard
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - David G. Green
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Gerald Lerchbaumer
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Katheryn E. Rothenberg
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada,Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Rodrigo Fernandez-Gonzalez
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada,Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada,Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada,Developmental and Stem Cell Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Ulrich Tepass
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada,Correspondence to Ulrich Tepass:
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27
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Erlich A, Étienne J, Fouchard J, Wyatt T. How dynamic prestress governs the shape of living systems, from the subcellular to tissue scale. Interface Focus 2022; 12:20220038. [PMID: 36330322 PMCID: PMC9560792 DOI: 10.1098/rsfs.2022.0038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 10/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Cells and tissues change shape both to carry out their function and during pathology. In most cases, these deformations are driven from within the systems themselves. This is permitted by a range of molecular actors, such as active crosslinkers and ion pumps, whose activity is biologically controlled in space and time. The resulting stresses are propagated within complex and dynamical architectures like networks or cell aggregates. From a mechanical point of view, these effects can be seen as the generation of prestress or prestrain, resulting from either a contractile or growth activity. In this review, we present this concept of prestress and the theoretical tools available to conceptualize the statics and dynamics of living systems. We then describe a range of phenomena where prestress controls shape changes in biopolymer networks (especially the actomyosin cytoskeleton and fibrous tissues) and cellularized tissues. Despite the diversity of scale and organization, we demonstrate that these phenomena stem from a limited number of spatial distributions of prestress, which can be categorized as heterogeneous, anisotropic or differential. We suggest that in addition to growth and contraction, a third type of prestress-topological prestress-can result from active processes altering the microstructure of tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jocelyn Étienne
- Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, LIPHY, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Jonathan Fouchard
- Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement, Institut de Biologie Paris Seine (IBPS), Sorbonne Université, CNRS (UMR 7622), INSERM (URL 1156), 7 quai Saint Bernard, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Tom Wyatt
- Wellcome Trust–Medical Research Council Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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28
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Vanderleest TE, Xie Y, Smits C, Blankenship JT, Loerke D. Interface extension is a continuum property suggesting a linkage between AP contractile and DV lengthening processes. Mol Biol Cell 2022; 33:ar142. [PMID: 36129772 PMCID: PMC9727811 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e21-07-0352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
In the early Drosophila embryo, the elongation of the anterior-posterior (AP) body axis is driven by cell intercalation in the germband epithelium. Neighboring cells intercalate through the contraction of AP interfaces (between AP neighbors) into higher-order vertices, which then resolve through the extension of new dorsal-ventral (DV) interfaces (between DV neighbors). Although interface contraction has been extensively studied, less is known about how new interfaces are established. Here we show that DV interface elongation behaviors initiate at the same time as AP contractions, and that DV interfaces which are newly created from resolution of higher-order vertices do not appear to possess a unique 'identity;' instead, all horizontal interfaces undergo lengthening, elongating through ratchetlike sliding behaviors analogous to those found in AP interfaces. Cortical F-actin networks are essential for high area oscillation amplitudes required for effective ratcheting. Our results suggest that, contrary to canonical models, the elongation of new DV interfaces is not produced by a mechanistically separate process. Instead, medial myosin populations drive oscillating radial forces in the cells to generate transient force asymmetries at all tricellular vertices, which-combined with planar polarized stabilization-produce directional ratcheted sliding to generate both AP interface contraction and DV interface elongation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yi Xie
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Denver, Denver, CO 80208
| | - Celia Smits
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Denver, Denver, CO 80208
| | - J. Todd Blankenship
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Denver, Denver, CO 80208,*Address correspondence to: Dinah Loerke (); Todd Blankenship ()
| | - Dinah Loerke
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Denver, Denver, CO 80208,*Address correspondence to: Dinah Loerke (); Todd Blankenship ()
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29
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Gustafson HJ, Claussen N, De Renzis S, Streichan SJ. Patterned mechanical feedback establishes a global myosin gradient. Nat Commun 2022; 13:7050. [PMID: 36396633 PMCID: PMC9672098 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34518-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Morphogenesis, the coordinated execution of developmental programs that shape embryos, raises many fundamental questions at the interface between physics and biology. In particular, how the dynamics of active cytoskeletal processes are coordinated across the surface of entire embryos to generate global cell flows is poorly understood. Two distinct regulatory principles have been identified: genetic programs and dynamic response to mechanical stimuli. Despite progress, disentangling these two contributions remains challenging. Here, we combine in toto light sheet microscopy with genetic and optogenetic perturbations of tissue mechanics to examine theoretically predicted dynamic recruitment of non-muscle myosin II to cell junctions during Drosophila embryogenesis. We find dynamic recruitment has a long-range impact on global myosin configuration, and the rate of junction deformation sets the rate of myosin recruitment. Mathematical modeling and high frequency analysis reveal myosin fluctuations on junctions around a mean value set by mechanical feedback. Our model accounts for the early establishment of the global myosin pattern at 80% fidelity. Taken together our results indicate spatially modulated mechanical feedback as a key regulatory input in the establishment of long-range gradients of cytoskeletal configurations and global tissue flow patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah J. Gustafson
- grid.133342.40000 0004 1936 9676Department of Physics, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 USA ,grid.133342.40000 0004 1936 9676Biomolecular Science and Engineering, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 USA
| | - Nikolas Claussen
- grid.133342.40000 0004 1936 9676Department of Physics, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 USA
| | - Stefano De Renzis
- grid.4709.a0000 0004 0495 846XEMBL Heidelberg, Meyerhofstrasse 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Sebastian J. Streichan
- grid.133342.40000 0004 1936 9676Department of Physics, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 USA ,grid.133342.40000 0004 1936 9676Biomolecular Science and Engineering, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 USA
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30
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Sharrock TE, Evans J, Blanchard GB, Sanson B. Different temporal requirements for tartan and wingless in the formation of contractile interfaces at compartmental boundaries. Development 2022; 149:dev200292. [PMID: 36178136 PMCID: PMC9687003 DOI: 10.1242/dev.200292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
Compartmental boundaries physically separate developing tissues into distinct regions, which is fundamental for the organisation of the body plan in both insects and vertebrates. In many examples, this physical segregation is caused by a regulated increase in contractility of the actomyosin cortex at boundary cell-cell interfaces, a property important in developmental morphogenesis beyond compartmental boundary formation. We performed an unbiased screening approach to identify cell surface receptors required for actomyosin enrichment and polarisation at parasegmental boundaries (PSBs) in early Drosophila embryos, from the start of germband extension at gastrulation and throughout the germband extended stages (stages 6 to 11). First, we find that Tartan is required during germband extension for actomyosin enrichment at PSBs, confirming an earlier report. Next, by following in real time the dynamics of loss of boundary straightness in tartan mutant embryos compared with wild-type and ftz mutant embryos, we show that Tartan is required during germband extension but not beyond. We identify candidate genes that could take over from Tartan at PSBs and confirm that at germband extended stages, actomyosin enrichment at PSBs requires Wingless signalling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas E. Sharrock
- Departmentof Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Anatomy Building, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK
| | - Jenny Evans
- Departmentof Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Anatomy Building, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK
| | - Guy B. Blanchard
- Departmentof Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Anatomy Building, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK
| | - Bénédicte Sanson
- Departmentof Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Anatomy Building, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK
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31
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Mundaca-Escobar M, Cepeda RE, Sarrazin AF. The organizing role of Wnt signaling pathway during arthropod posterior growth. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:944673. [PMID: 35990604 PMCID: PMC9389326 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.944673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Wnt signaling pathways are recognized for having major roles in tissue patterning and cell proliferation. In the last years, remarkable progress has been made in elucidating the molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie sequential segmentation and axial elongation in various arthropods, and the canonical Wnt pathway has emerged as an essential factor in these processes. Here we review, with a comparative perspective, the current evidence concerning the participation of this pathway during posterior growth, its degree of conservation among the different subphyla within Arthropoda and its relationship with the rest of the gene regulatory network involved. Furthermore, we discuss how this signaling pathway could regulate segmentation to establish this repetitive pattern and, at the same time, probably modulate different cellular processes precisely coupled to axial elongation. Based on the information collected, we suggest that this pathway plays an organizing role in the formation of the body segments through the regulation of the dynamic expression of segmentation genes, via controlling the caudal gene, at the posterior region of the embryo/larva, that is necessary for the correct sequential formation of body segments in most arthropods and possibly in their common segmented ancestor. On the other hand, there is insufficient evidence to link this pathway to axial elongation by controlling its main cellular processes, such as convergent extension and cell proliferation. However, conclusions are premature until more studies incorporating diverse arthropods are carried out.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Andres F. Sarrazin
- CoDe-Lab, Instituto de Química, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
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32
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Dow JAT, Simons M, Romero MF. Drosophila melanogaster: a simple genetic model of kidney structure, function and disease. Nat Rev Nephrol 2022; 18:417-434. [PMID: 35411063 DOI: 10.1038/s41581-022-00561-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Although the genetic basis of many kidney diseases is being rapidly elucidated, their experimental study remains problematic owing to the lack of suitable models. The fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster provides a rapid, ethical and cost-effective model system of the kidney. The unique advantages of D. melanogaster include ease and low cost of maintenance, comprehensive availability of genetic mutants and powerful transgenic technologies, and less onerous regulation, as compared with mammalian systems. Renal and excretory functions in D. melanogaster reside in three main tissues - the transporting renal (Malpighian) tubules, the reabsorptive hindgut and the endocytic nephrocytes. Tubules contain multiple cell types and regions and generate a primary urine by transcellular transport rather than filtration, which is then subjected to selective reabsorption in the hindgut. By contrast, the nephrocytes are specialized for uptake of macromolecules and equipped with a filtering slit diaphragm resembling that of podocytes. Many genes with key roles in the human kidney have D. melanogaster orthologues that are enriched and functionally relevant in fly renal tissues. This similarity has allowed investigations of epithelial transport, kidney stone formation and podocyte and proximal tubule function. Furthermore, a range of unique quantitative phenotypes are available to measure function in both wild type and disease-modelling flies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian A T Dow
- Institute of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
| | - Matias Simons
- INSERM UMR1163, Laboratory of Epithelial Biology and Disease, Imagine Institute, Université de Paris, Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades, Paris, France
- Institute of Human Genetics, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Michael F Romero
- Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Rochester, MN, USA
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33
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Ogita G, Kondo T, Ikawa K, Uemura T, Ishihara S, Sugimura K. Image-based parameter inference for epithelial mechanics. PLoS Comput Biol 2022; 18:e1010209. [PMID: 35737656 PMCID: PMC9223404 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Measuring mechanical parameters in tissues, such as the elastic modulus of cell-cell junctions, is essential to decipher the mechanical control of morphogenesis. However, their in vivo measurement is technically challenging. Here, we formulated an image-based statistical approach to estimate the mechanical parameters of epithelial cells. Candidate mechanical models are constructed based on force-cell shape correlations obtained from image data. Substitution of the model functions into force-balance equations at the cell vertex leads to an equation with respect to the parameters of the model, by which one can estimate the parameter values using a least-squares method. A test using synthetic data confirmed the accuracy of parameter estimation and model selection. By applying this method to Drosophila epithelial tissues, we found that the magnitude and orientation of feedback between the junction tension and shrinkage, which are determined by the spring constant of the junction, were correlated with the elevation of tension and myosin-II on shrinking junctions during cell rearrangement. Further, this method clarified how alterations in tissue polarity and stretching affect the anisotropy in tension parameters. Thus, our method provides a novel approach to uncovering the mechanisms governing epithelial morphogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Goshi Ogita
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Takefumi Kondo
- Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Keisuke Ikawa
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (WPI-iCeMS), Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Tadashi Uemura
- Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Shuji Ishihara
- Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Universal Biology Institute, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- * E-mail: (SI); (KS)
| | - Kaoru Sugimura
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (WPI-iCeMS), Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Universal Biology Institute, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, University of Tokyo, Chiba, Japan
- * E-mail: (SI); (KS)
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34
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Inhibition of negative feedback for persistent epithelial cell-cell junction contraction by p21-activated kinase 3. Nat Commun 2022; 13:3520. [PMID: 35725726 PMCID: PMC9209458 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31252-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2019] [Accepted: 06/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Actin-mediated mechanical forces are central drivers of cellular dynamics. They generate protrusive and contractile dynamics, the latter of which are induced in concert with myosin II bundled at the site of contraction. These dynamics emerge concomitantly in tissues and even each cell; thus, the tight regulation of such bidirectional forces is important for proper cellular deformation. Here, we show that contractile dynamics can eventually disturb cell–cell junction contraction in the absence of p21-activated kinase 3 (Pak3). Upon Pak3 depletion, contractility induces the formation of abnormal actin protrusions at the shortening junctions, which causes decrease in E-cadherin levels at the adherens junctions and mislocalization of myosin II at the junctions before they enough shorten, compromising completion of junction shortening. Overexpressing E-cadherin restores myosin II distribution closely placed at the junctions and junction contraction. Our results suggest that contractility both induces and perturbs junction contraction and that the attenuation of such perturbations by Pak3 facilitates persistent junction shortening. Actin and myosin operate at cell–cell junctions during junctional shortening. Here the authors show that prolonged actomyosin contractility can compromise junctional shortening, and that Pak3 is required for attenuation of abnormal active protrusive structure and thus keeps junction contraction, appropriate E-cadherin distribution, and junction shortening in Drosophila.
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35
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Umetsu D. Cell mechanics and cell-cell recognition controls by Toll-like receptors in tissue morphogenesis and homeostasis. Fly (Austin) 2022; 16:233-247. [PMID: 35579305 PMCID: PMC9116419 DOI: 10.1080/19336934.2022.2074783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Signal transduction by the Toll-like receptors (TLRs) is conserved and essential for innate immunity in metazoans. The founding member of the TLR family, Drosophila Toll-1, was initially identified for its role in dorsoventral axis formation in early embryogenesis. The Drosophila genome encodes nine TLRs that display dynamic expression patterns during development, suggesting their involvement in tissue morphogenesis and homeostasis. Recent progress on the developmental functions of TLRs beyond dorsoventral patterning has revealed not only their diverse functions in various biological processes, but also unprecedented molecular mechanisms in directly regulating cell mechanics and cell-cell recognition independent of the canonical signal transduction pathway involving transcriptional regulation of target genes. In this review, I feature and discuss the non-immune functions of TLRs in the control of epithelial tissue homeostasis, tissue morphogenesis, and cell-cell recognition between cell populations with different cell identities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daiki Umetsu
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
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36
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Marivin A, Ho RXY, Garcia-Marcos M. DAPLE orchestrates apical actomyosin assembly from junctional polarity complexes. J Biophys Biochem Cytol 2022; 221:213115. [PMID: 35389423 PMCID: PMC8996326 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.202111002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2021] [Revised: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Establishment of apicobasal polarity and the organization of the cytoskeleton must operate coordinately to ensure proper epithelial cell shape and function. However, the precise molecular mechanisms by which polarity complexes directly instruct the cytoskeletal machinery to determine cell shape are poorly understood. Here, we define a mechanism by which the PAR polarity complex (PAR3–PAR6–aPKC) at apical cell junctions leads to efficient assembly of the apical actomyosin network to maintain epithelial cell morphology. We found that the PAR polarity complex recruits the protein DAPLE to apical cell junctions, which in turn triggers a two-pronged mechanism that converges upon assembly of apical actomyosin. More specifically, DAPLE directly recruits the actin-stabilizing protein CD2AP to apical junctions and, concomitantly, activates heterotrimeric G protein signaling in a GPCR-independent manner to favor RhoA-myosin activation. These observations establish DAPLE as a direct molecular link between junctional polarity complexes and the formation of apical cytoskeletal assemblies that support epithelial cell shape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arthur Marivin
- Department of Biochemistry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA
| | - Rachel Xi-Yeen Ho
- Department of Biochemistry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA
| | - Mikel Garcia-Marcos
- Department of Biochemistry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA
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37
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Weng S, Huebner RJ, Wallingford JB. Convergent extension requires adhesion-dependent biomechanical integration of cell crawling and junction contraction. Cell Rep 2022; 39:110666. [PMID: 35476988 PMCID: PMC9119128 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2021] [Revised: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Convergent extension (CE) is an evolutionarily conserved collective cell movement that elongates several organ systems during development. Studies have revealed two distinct cellular mechanisms, one based on cell crawling and the other on junction contraction. Whether these two behaviors collaborate is unclear. Here, using live-cell imaging, we show that crawling and contraction act both independently and jointly but that CE is more effective when they are integrated via mechano-reciprocity. We thus developed a computational model considering both crawling and contraction. This model recapitulates the biomechanical efficacy of integrating the two modes and further clarifies how the two modes and their integration are influenced by cell adhesion. Finally, we use these insights to understand the function of an understudied catenin, Arvcf, during CE. These data are significant for providing interesting biomechanical and cell biological insights into a fundamental morphogenetic process that is implicated in human neural tube defects and skeletal dysplasias.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shinuo Weng
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Patterson Labs, The University of Texas at Austin, 2401 Speedway, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Robert J Huebner
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Patterson Labs, The University of Texas at Austin, 2401 Speedway, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - John B Wallingford
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Patterson Labs, The University of Texas at Austin, 2401 Speedway, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
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38
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Nestor-Bergmann A, Blanchard GB, Hervieux N, Fletcher AG, Étienne J, Sanson B. Adhesion-regulated junction slippage controls cell intercalation dynamics in an Apposed-Cortex Adhesion Model. PLoS Comput Biol 2022; 18:e1009812. [PMID: 35089922 PMCID: PMC8887740 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Revised: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Cell intercalation is a key cell behaviour of morphogenesis and wound healing, where local cell neighbour exchanges can cause dramatic tissue deformations such as body axis extension. Substantial experimental work has identified the key molecular players facilitating intercalation, but there remains a lack of consensus and understanding of their physical roles. Existing biophysical models that represent cell-cell contacts with single edges cannot study cell neighbour exchange as a continuous process, where neighbouring cell cortices must uncouple. Here, we develop an Apposed-Cortex Adhesion Model (ACAM) to understand active cell intercalation behaviours in the context of a 2D epithelial tissue. The junctional actomyosin cortex of every cell is modelled as a continuous viscoelastic rope-loop, explicitly representing cortices facing each other at bicellular junctions and the adhesion molecules that couple them. The model parameters relate directly to the properties of the key subcellular players that drive dynamics, providing a multi-scale understanding of cell behaviours. We show that active cell neighbour exchanges can be driven by purely junctional mechanisms. Active contractility and cortical turnover in a single bicellular junction are sufficient to shrink and remove a junction. Next, a new, orthogonal junction extends passively. The ACAM reveals how the turnover of adhesion molecules regulates tension transmission and junction deformation rates by controlling slippage between apposed cell cortices. The model additionally predicts that rosettes, which form when a vertex becomes common to many cells, are more likely to occur in actively intercalating tissues with strong friction from adhesion molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Nestor-Bergmann
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (AN-B); (JE)
| | - Guy B. Blanchard
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Nathan Hervieux
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Alexander G. Fletcher
- School of Mathematics and Statistics and Bateson Centre, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Jocelyn Étienne
- LIPHY, CNRS, Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, LIPhy, 38000 Grenoble, France
- * E-mail: (AN-B); (JE)
| | - Bénédicte Sanson
- School of Mathematics and Statistics and Bateson Centre, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
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39
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Chen Y, Gao Q, Li J, Mao F, Tang R, Jiang H. Activation of Topological Defects Induces a Brittle-to-Ductile Transition in Epithelial Monolayers. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2022; 128:018101. [PMID: 35061486 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.128.018101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Epithelial monolayers are subjected to various mechanical forces, such as stretching, shearing, and compression. Thus, its mechanical response to external loadings is essential for its biological functions. However, the mechanism of the fracture failure of the epithelial monolayer remains poorly understood. Here, by introducing a new type of topological transition, i.e., detach transition or T4 transition, we develop a modified cellular vertex model to investigate the rupture of the cell monolayer. Interestingly, we find a brittle-to-ductile transition in epithelial monolayers, which is controlled by the mechanical properties of single cells and cell-cell contacts. We reveal that the external loadings can activate cell rearrangement in ductile cell monolayers. The plastic deformation results from the nucleation and propagation of "pentagon-heptagon defects" in analogy with the topological defects commonly seen in 2D materials. By using a simplified four-cell model, we further demonstrate that the brittle-to-ductile transition is induced by the competition between cell rearrangement and cell detachment. Our work provides a new theoretical framework to study the rupture of living tissues and may have important implications for many other biological processes, such as wound healing and tissue morphogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yixia Chen
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Science at the Microscale, CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Materials, CAS Center for Excellence in Complex System Mechanics, Department of Modern Mechanics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Qigan Gao
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Science at the Microscale, CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Materials, CAS Center for Excellence in Complex System Mechanics, Department of Modern Mechanics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Jingchen Li
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Science at the Microscale, CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Materials, CAS Center for Excellence in Complex System Mechanics, Department of Modern Mechanics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Fangtao Mao
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Science at the Microscale, CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Materials, CAS Center for Excellence in Complex System Mechanics, Department of Modern Mechanics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Ruowen Tang
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Science at the Microscale, CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Materials, CAS Center for Excellence in Complex System Mechanics, Department of Modern Mechanics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Hongyuan Jiang
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Science at the Microscale, CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Materials, CAS Center for Excellence in Complex System Mechanics, Department of Modern Mechanics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
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40
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Perez-Vale KZ, Yow KD, Johnson RI, Byrnes AE, Finegan TM, Slep KC, Peifer M. Multivalent interactions make adherens junction-cytoskeletal linkage robust during morphogenesis. J Cell Biol 2021; 220:212790. [PMID: 34762121 PMCID: PMC8590279 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.202104087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2021] [Revised: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Embryogenesis requires cells to change shape and move without disrupting epithelial integrity. This requires robust, responsive linkage between adherens junctions and the actomyosin cytoskeleton. Using Drosophila morphogenesis, we define molecular mechanisms mediating junction–cytoskeletal linkage and explore the role of mechanosensing. We focus on the junction–cytoskeletal linker Canoe, a multidomain protein. We engineered the canoe locus to define how its domains mediate its mechanism of action. To our surprise, the PDZ and FAB domains, which we thought connected junctions and F-actin, are not required for viability or mechanosensitive recruitment to junctions under tension. The FAB domain stabilizes junctions experiencing elevated force, but in its absence, most cells recover, suggesting redundant interactions. In contrast, the Rap1-binding RA domains are critical for all Cno functions and enrichment at junctions under tension. This supports a model in which junctional robustness derives from a large protein network assembled via multivalent interactions, with proteins at network nodes and some node connections more critical than others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kia Z Perez-Vale
- Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Kristi D Yow
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Ruth I Johnson
- Department of Biology, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT
| | - Amy E Byrnes
- Program in Molecular and Cellular Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Tara M Finegan
- Department of Physics and BioInspired Syracuse, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY
| | - Kevin C Slep
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Mark Peifer
- Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC.,Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC.,Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
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41
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Paci G, Mao Y. Forced into shape: Mechanical forces in Drosophila development and homeostasis. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2021; 120:160-170. [PMID: 34092509 PMCID: PMC8681862 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2021.05.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2021] [Revised: 05/19/2021] [Accepted: 05/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Mechanical forces play a central role in shaping tissues during development and maintaining epithelial integrity in homeostasis. In this review, we discuss the roles of mechanical forces in Drosophila development and homeostasis, starting from the interplay of mechanics with cell growth and division. We then discuss several examples of morphogenetic processes where complex 3D structures are shaped by mechanical forces, followed by a closer look at patterning processes. We also review the role of forces in homeostatic processes, including cell elimination and wound healing. Finally, we look at the interplay of mechanics and developmental robustness and discuss open questions in the field, as well as novel approaches that will help tackle them in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Paci
- MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK; Institute for the Physics of Living Systems, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Yanlan Mao
- MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK; Institute for the Physics of Living Systems, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
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42
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Krajnc M, Stern T, Zankoc C. Active Instability and Nonlinear Dynamics of Cell-Cell Junctions. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2021; 127:198103. [PMID: 34797151 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.127.198103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Active cell-junction remodeling is important for tissue morphogenesis, yet its underlying physics is not understood. We study a mechanical model that describes junctions as dynamic active force dipoles. Their instability can trigger cell intercalations by a critical collapse. Nonlinearities in tissue's elastic response can stabilize the collapse either by a limit cycle or condensation of junction lengths at cusps of the energy landscape. Furthermore, active junction networks undergo collective instability to drive active in-plane ordering or develop a limit cycle of collective oscillations, which extends over regions of the energy landscape corresponding to distinct network topologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matej Krajnc
- Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Tomer Stern
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA
| | - Clément Zankoc
- Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
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43
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Prazak L, Iwasaki Y, Kim AR, Kozlov K, King K, Gergen JP. A dual role for DNA binding by Runt in activation and repression of sloppy paired transcription. Mol Biol Cell 2021; 32:ar26. [PMID: 34432496 PMCID: PMC8693977 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e20-08-0509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
This work investigates the role of DNA binding by Runt in regulating the sloppy paired 1 (slp1) gene and in particular two distinct cis-regulatory elements that mediate regulation by Runt and other pair-rule transcription factors during Drosophila segmentation. We find that a DNA-binding-defective form of Runt is ineffective at repressing both the distal (DESE) and proximal (PESE) early stripe elements of slp1 and is also compromised for DESE-dependent activation. The function of Runt-binding sites in DESE is further investigated using site-specific transgenesis and quantitative imaging techniques. When DESE is tested as an autonomous enhancer, mutagenesis of the Runt sites results in a clear loss of Runt-dependent repression but has little to no effect on Runt-dependent activation. Notably, mutagenesis of these same sites in the context of a reporter gene construct that also contains the PESE enhancer results in a significant reduction of DESE-dependent activation as well as the loss of repression observed for the autonomous mutant DESE enhancer. These results provide strong evidence that DNA binding by Runt directly contributes to the regulatory interplay of interactions between these two enhancers in the early embryo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Prazak
- Department of Biology, Farmingdale State College, Farmingdale, NY 11735-1021.,Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology and Center for Developmental Genetics.,Graduate Program in Molecular and Cellular Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-5215
| | - Yasuno Iwasaki
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology and Center for Developmental Genetics
| | - Ah-Ram Kim
- Graduate Program in Biochemistry and Structural Biology, and
| | - Konstantin Kozlov
- Department of Applied Mathematics, St. Petersburg State Polytechnical University, St. Petersburg, Russia 195251
| | - Kevin King
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology and Center for Developmental Genetics.,Graduate Program in Molecular and Cellular Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-5215
| | - J Peter Gergen
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology and Center for Developmental Genetics
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44
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Lawson-Keister E, Manning ML. Jamming and arrest of cell motion in biological tissues. Curr Opin Cell Biol 2021; 72:146-155. [PMID: 34461581 DOI: 10.1016/j.ceb.2021.07.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2021] [Revised: 07/07/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Collective cell motility is crucial to many biological processes including morphogenesis, wound healing, and cancer invasion. Recently, the biology and biophysics communities have begun to use the term 'cell jamming' to describe the collective arrest of cell motion in tissues. Although this term is widely used, the underlying mechanisms are varied. In this review, we highlight three independent mechanisms that can potentially drive arrest of cell motion - crowding, tension-driven rigidity, and reduction of fluctuations - and propose a framework that connects all three. Because multiple mechanisms may be operating simultaneously, this emphasizes that experiments should strive to identify which mechanism dominates in a given situation. We also discuss how specific cell-scale and molecular-scale biological processes, such as cell-cell and cell-substrate interactions, control aspects of these underlying physical mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - M Lisa Manning
- Department of Physics and BioInspired Institute, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244, USA.
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45
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Tan SE, Tan W, Fisher K, Strutt D. QuantifyPolarity, a new tool-kit for measuring planar polarized protein distributions and cell properties in developing tissues. Development 2021; 148:272072. [PMID: 34351416 PMCID: PMC8451067 DOI: 10.1242/dev.198952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2020] [Accepted: 07/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The coordination of cells or structures within the plane of a tissue is known as planar polarization. It is often governed by the asymmetric distribution of planar polarity proteins within cells. A number of quantitative methods have been developed to provide a readout of planar polarized protein distributions. However, previous planar polarity quantification methods can be affected by variation in cell geometry. Hence, we developed a novel planar polarity quantification method based on Principal Component Analysis (PCA) that is shape insensitive. Here, we compare this method with other state-of-the-art methods on simulated models and biological datasets. We found that the PCA method performs robustly in quantifying planar polarity independently of variation in cell geometry and other image conditions. We designed a user-friendly graphical user interface called QuantifyPolarity, equipped with three polarity methods for automated quantification of polarity. QuantifyPolarity also provides tools to quantify cell morphology and packing geometry, allowing the relationship of these characteristics to planar polarization to be investigated. This tool enables experimentalists with no prior computational expertise to perform high-throughput cell polarity and shape analysis automatically and efficiently. Summary: We present a novel planar polarity quantification method based on Principal Component Analysis that performs robustly in quantifying planar polarity independently of variation in cell geometry and other image properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Su Ee Tan
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - Weijie Tan
- School of Computer Science, University of Nottingham, Jubilee Campus, Wollaton Road, Nottingham, NG8 1BB, UK
| | - Katherine Fisher
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - David Strutt
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
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46
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Herrera-Perez RM, Cupo C, Allan C, Lin A, Kasza KE. Using optogenetics to link myosin patterns to contractile cell behaviors during convergent extension. Biophys J 2021; 120:4214-4229. [PMID: 34293302 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2021.06.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Revised: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 10/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Distinct patterns of actomyosin contractility are often associated with particular epithelial tissue shape changes during development. For example, a planar-polarized pattern of myosin II localization regulated by Rho1 signaling during Drosophila body axis elongation is thought to drive cell behaviors that contribute to convergent extension. However, it is not well understood how specific aspects of a myosin pattern influence the multiple cell behaviors, including cell intercalation, cell shape changes, and apical cell area fluctuations, that simultaneously occur during morphogenesis. Here, we developed two optogenetic tools, optoGEF and optoGAP, to activate or deactivate Rho1 signaling, respectively. We used these tools to manipulate myosin patterns at the apical side of the germband epithelium during Drosophila axis elongation and analyzed the effects on contractile cell behaviors. We show that uniform activation or inactivation of Rho1 signaling across the apical surface of the germband is sufficient to disrupt the planar-polarized pattern of myosin at cell junctions on the timescale of 3-5 min, leading to distinct changes in junctional and medial myosin patterns in optoGEF and optoGAP embryos. These two perturbations to Rho1 activity both disrupt axis elongation and cell intercalation but have distinct effects on cell area fluctuations and cell packings that are linked with changes in the medial and junctional myosin pools. These studies demonstrate that acute optogenetic perturbations to Rho1 activity are sufficient to rapidly override the endogenous planar-polarized myosin pattern in the germband during axis elongation. Moreover, our results reveal that the levels of Rho1 activity and the balance between medial and junctional myosin play key roles not only in organizing the cell rearrangements that are known to directly contribute to axis elongation but also in regulating cell area fluctuations and cell packings, which have been proposed to be important factors influencing the mechanics of tissue deformation and flow.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Christian Cupo
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, New York
| | - Cole Allan
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, New York
| | - Annie Lin
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, New York
| | - Karen E Kasza
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, New York.
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47
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Yu JC, Balaghi N, Erdemci-Tandogan G, Castle V, Fernandez-Gonzalez R. Myosin cables control the timing of tissue internalization in the Drosophila embryo. Cells Dev 2021; 168:203721. [PMID: 34271226 DOI: 10.1016/j.cdev.2021.203721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2021] [Revised: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Compartment boundaries prevent cell mixing during animal development. In the early Drosophila embryo, the mesectoderm is a group of glial precursors that separate ectoderm and mesoderm, forming the ventral midline. Mesectoderm cells undergo one round of oriented divisions during axis elongation and are eventually internalized 6 h later. Using spinning disk confocal microscopy and image analysis, we found that after dividing, mesectoderm cells reversed their planar polarity. The polarity factor Bazooka was redistributed to mesectoderm-mesectoderm cell interfaces, and the molecular motor non-muscle Myosin II and its upstream activator Rho-kinase (Rok) accumulated at mesectoderm-ectoderm (ME) interfaces, forming supracellular cables flanking the mesectoderm on either side of the tissue. Laser ablation revealed the presence of increased tension at ME cables, where Myosin was stabilized, as shown by fluorescence recovery after photobleaching. We used laser nanosurgery to reduce tension at the ME boundary, and we found that Myosin fluorescence decreased rapidly, suggesting a role for tension in ME boundary maintenance. Mathematical modelling predicted that increased tension at the ME boundary was necessary to prevent the premature establishment of contacts between the two ectodermal sheets on opposite sides of the mesectoderm, thus controlling the timing of mesectoderm internalization. We validated the model in vivo: Myosin inhibition disrupted the linearity of the ME boundary and resulted in early internalization of the mesectoderm. Our results suggest that the redistribution of Rok polarizes Myosin and Bazooka within the mesectoderm to establish tissue boundaries, and that ME boundaries control the timely internalization of the mesectoderm as embryos develop.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica C Yu
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3G9, Canada; Translational Biology and Engineering Program, Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1M1, Canada
| | - Negar Balaghi
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3G9, Canada; Translational Biology and Engineering Program, Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1M1, Canada
| | - Gonca Erdemci-Tandogan
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3G9, Canada; Translational Biology and Engineering Program, Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1M1, Canada
| | - Veronica Castle
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3G9, Canada; Translational Biology and Engineering Program, Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1M1, Canada
| | - Rodrigo Fernandez-Gonzalez
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3G9, Canada; Translational Biology and Engineering Program, Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1M1, Canada; Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3G5, Canada; Developmental and Stem Cell Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada.
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48
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Gorfinkiel N, Martinez Arias A. The cell in the age of the genomic revolution: Cell Regulatory Networks. Cells Dev 2021; 168:203720. [PMID: 34252599 DOI: 10.1016/j.cdev.2021.203720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2021] [Revised: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Over the last few years an intense activity in the areas of advanced microscopy and quantitative cell biology has put the focus on the morphogenetic events that shape embryos. The interest in these processes is taking place against the backdrop of genomic studies, particularly of global patterns of gene expression at the level of single cells, which cannot fully account for the way cells build tissues and organs. Here we discuss the need to integrate the activity of genes with that of cells and propose the need to develop a framework, based on cellular processes and cell interactions, that parallels that which has been created for gene activity in the form of Gene Regulatory Networks (GRNs). We begin to do this by suggesting elements for building Cell Regulatory Networks (CRNs). In the same manner that GRNs create schedules of gene expression that result in the emergence of cell fates over time, CRNs create tissues and organs i.e. space. We also suggest how GRNs and CRNs might interact in the building of embryos through feedback loops involving mechanics and tissue tectonics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Gorfinkiel
- Departamento de Genética, Fisiología y Microbiología, Facultad de CC Biológicas, Universidad Complutense, José Antonio Nováis 12, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Alfonso Martinez Arias
- Systems Bioengineering, DCEXS, Universidad Pompeu Fabra, ICREA (Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats), Doctor Aiguader 88, Pg. Lluís Companys 23, Barcelona, Spain.
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49
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Holcomb MC, Gao GJJ, Servati M, Schneider D, McNeely PK, Thomas JH, Blawzdziewicz J. Mechanical feedback and robustness of apical constrictions in Drosophila embryo ventral furrow formation. PLoS Comput Biol 2021; 17:e1009173. [PMID: 34228708 PMCID: PMC8284804 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2020] [Revised: 07/16/2021] [Accepted: 06/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Formation of the ventral furrow in the Drosophila embryo relies on the apical constriction of cells in the ventral region to produce bending forces that drive tissue invagination. In our recent paper we observed that apical constrictions during the initial phase of ventral furrow formation produce elongated patterns of cellular constriction chains prior to invagination and argued that these are indicative of tensile stress feedback. Here, we quantitatively analyze the constriction patterns preceding ventral furrow formation and find that they are consistent with the predictions of our active-granular-fluid model of a monolayer of mechanically coupled stress-sensitive constricting particles. Our model shows that tensile feedback causes constriction chains to develop along underlying precursor tensile stress chains that gradually strengthen with subsequent cellular constrictions. As seen in both our model and available optogenetic experiments, this mechanism allows constriction chains to penetrate or circumvent zones of reduced cell contractility, thus increasing the robustness of ventral furrow formation to spatial variation of cell contractility by rescuing cellular constrictions in the disrupted regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael C. Holcomb
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, United States of America
| | - Guo-Jie Jason Gao
- Department of Mathematical and Systems Engineering, Shizuoka University, Hamamatsu, Japan
| | - Mahsa Servati
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, United States of America
| | - Dylan Schneider
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, United States of America
| | - Presley K. McNeely
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, United States of America
| | - Jeffrey H. Thomas
- Department of Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas, United States of America
| | - Jerzy Blawzdziewicz
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, United States of America
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, United States of America
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50
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Huebner RJ, Malmi-Kakkada AN, Sarıkaya S, Weng S, Thirumalai D, Wallingford JB. Mechanical heterogeneity along single cell-cell junctions is driven by lateral clustering of cadherins during vertebrate axis elongation. eLife 2021; 10:e65390. [PMID: 34032216 PMCID: PMC8205493 DOI: 10.7554/elife.65390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2020] [Accepted: 05/01/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Morphogenesis is governed by the interplay of molecular signals and mechanical forces across multiple length scales. The last decade has seen tremendous advances in our understanding of the dynamics of protein localization and turnover at subcellular length scales, and at the other end of the spectrum, of mechanics at tissue-level length scales. Integrating the two remains a challenge, however, because we lack a detailed understanding of the subcellular patterns of mechanical properties of cells within tissues. Here, in the context of the elongating body axis of Xenopus embryos, we combine tools from cell biology and physics to demonstrate that individual cell-cell junctions display finely-patterned local mechanical heterogeneity along their length. We show that such local mechanical patterning is essential for the cell movements of convergent extension and is imparted by locally patterned clustering of a classical cadherin. Finally, the patterning of cadherins and thus local mechanics along cell-cell junctions are controlled by Planar Cell Polarity signaling, a key genetic module for CE that is mutated in diverse human birth defects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert J Huebner
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of TexasAustinUnited States
| | - Abdul Naseer Malmi-Kakkada
- Department of Chemistry, University of TexasAustinUnited States
- Department of Chemistry and Physics, Augusta UniversityAugustaGeorgia
| | - Sena Sarıkaya
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of TexasAustinUnited States
| | - Shinuo Weng
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of TexasAustinUnited States
| | - D Thirumalai
- Department of Chemistry, University of TexasAustinUnited States
| | - John B Wallingford
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of TexasAustinUnited States
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