1
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Dai A, Ben Amar M. Cyclic muscle contractions reinforce the actomyosin motors and mediate the full elongation of C. elegans embryo. eLife 2024; 12:RP90505. [PMID: 38900560 PMCID: PMC11189629 DOI: 10.7554/elife.90505] [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: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
The paramount importance of mechanical forces in morphogenesis and embryogenesis is widely recognized, but understanding the mechanism at the cellular and molecular level remains challenging. Because of its simple internal organization, Caenorhabditis elegans is a rewarding system of study. As demonstrated experimentally, after an initial period of steady elongation driven by the actomyosin network, muscle contractions operate a quasi-periodic sequence of bending, rotation, and torsion, that leads to the final fourfold size of the embryos before hatching. How actomyosin and muscles contribute to embryonic elongation is investigated here theoretically. A filamentary elastic model that converts stimuli generated by biochemical signals in the tissue into driving forces, explains embryonic deformation under actin bundles and muscle activity, and dictates mechanisms of late elongation based on the effects of energy conversion and dissipation. We quantify this dynamic transformation by stretches applied to a cylindrical structure that mimics the body shape in finite elasticity, obtaining good agreement and understanding of both wild-type and mutant embryos at all stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Dai
- Laboratoire de Physique de l’Ecole normale supérieure, ENS, Université PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Université Paris CitéParisFrance
| | - Martine Ben Amar
- Laboratoire de Physique de l’Ecole normale supérieure, ENS, Université PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Université Paris CitéParisFrance
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2
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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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3
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Sun W, Rasmussen C, Vetter R, Paulose J. Geometric mapping from rectilinear material orthotropy to isotropy: Insights into plates and shells. Phys Rev E 2023; 108:065003. [PMID: 38243471 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.108.065003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2024]
Abstract
Orthotropic shell structures are ubiquitous in biology and engineering, from bacterial cell walls to reinforced domes. We present a rescaling transformation that maps an orthotropic shallow shell to an isotropic one with a different local geometry. The mapping is applicable to any shell section for which the material orthotropy directions match the principal curvature directions, assuming the commonly used Huber form for the orthotropic shear modulus. Using the rescaling transformation, we derive exact expressions for the buckling pressure as well as the linear indentation response of orthotropic cylinders and general ellipsoids of revolution, which we verify against numerical simulations. Our analysis disentangles the separate contributions of geometric and material anisotropy to shell rigidity. In particular, we identify the geometric mean of orthotropic elastic constants as the key quantifier of material stiffness, playing a role akin to the Gaussian curvature which captures the geometric stiffness contribution. Besides providing insights into the mechanical response of orthotropic shells, our work rigorously establishes the validity of isotropic approximations to orthotropic shells and also identifies situations in which these approximations might fail.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenqian Sun
- Institute for Fundamental Science and Department of Physics, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403, USA
| | - Cody Rasmussen
- Institute for Fundamental Science and Department of Physics, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403, USA
| | - Roman Vetter
- Computational Physics for Engineering Materials, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jayson Paulose
- Institute for Fundamental Science and Department of Physics, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403, USA
- Materials Science Institute, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403, USA
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4
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Goldner AN, Fessehaye SM, Rodriguez N, Mapes KA, Osterfield M, Doubrovinski K. Evidence that tissue recoil in the early Drosophila embryo is a passive not active process. Mol Biol Cell 2023; 34:br16. [PMID: 37405768 PMCID: PMC10551697 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e22-09-0409] [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: 09/08/2022] [Revised: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 07/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding tissue morphogenesis is impossible without knowing the mechanical properties of the tissue being shaped. Although techniques for measuring tissue material properties are continually being developed, methods for determining how individual proteins contribute to mechanical properties are very limited. Here, we developed two complementary techniques for the acute inactivation of spaghetti squash (the Drosophila myosin regulatory light chain), one based on the recently introduced (auxin-inducible degron 2 (AID2) system, and the other based on a novel method for conditional protein aggregation that results in nearly instantaneous protein inactivation. Combining these techniques with rheological measurements, we show that passive material properties of the cellularization-stage Drosophila embryo are essentially unaffected by myosin activity. These results suggest that this tissue is elastic, not predominantly viscous, on the developmentally relevant timescale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Nicole Goldner
- Department of Biophysics and Department of Cell Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390
| | - Salena M. Fessehaye
- Department of Biophysics and Department of Cell Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390
| | - Nataly Rodriguez
- Department of Biophysics and Department of Cell Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390
| | - Kelly Ann Mapes
- Department of Biophysics and Department of Cell Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390
| | - Miriam Osterfield
- Department of Biophysics and Department of Cell Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390
| | - Konstantin Doubrovinski
- Department of Biophysics and Department of Cell Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390
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5
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Fang C, Shao X, Tian Y, Chu Z, Lin Y. Size-dependent response of cells in epithelial tissue modulated by contractile stress fibers. Biophys J 2023; 122:1315-1324. [PMID: 36809876 PMCID: PMC10111366 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2023.02.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2022] [Revised: 01/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/18/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Although cells with distinct apical areas have been widely observed in epithelial tissues, how the size of cells affects their behavior during tissue deformation and morphogenesis as well as key physical factors modulating such influence remains elusive. Here, we showed that the elongation of cells within the monolayer under anisotropic biaxial stretching increases with their size because the strain released by local cell rearrangement (i.e., T1 transition) is more significant for small cells that possess higher contractility. On the other hand, by incorporating the nucleation, peeling, merging, and breakage dynamics of subcellular stress fibers into classical vertex formulation, we found that stress fibers with orientations predominantly aligned with the main stretching direction will be formed at tricellular junctions, in good agreement with recent experiments. The contractile forces generated by stress fibers help cells to resist imposed stretching, reduce the occurrence of T1 transitions, and, consequently, modulate their size-dependent elongation. Our findings demonstrate that epithelial cells could utilize their size and internal structure to regulate their physical and related biological behaviors. The theoretical framework proposed here can also be extended to investigate the roles of cell geometry and intracellular contraction in processes such as collective cell migration and embryo development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Fang
- School of Science, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China; Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong; HKU-Shenzhen Institute of Research and Innovation (HKU-SIRI), Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Xueying Shao
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong; HKU-Shenzhen Institute of Research and Innovation (HKU-SIRI), Shenzhen, Guangdong, China; Advanced Biomedical Instrumentation Centre, Hong Kong Science Park, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong
| | - Ye Tian
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong; HKU-Shenzhen Institute of Research and Innovation (HKU-SIRI), Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Zhiqin Chu
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong; School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
| | - Yuan Lin
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong; HKU-Shenzhen Institute of Research and Innovation (HKU-SIRI), Shenzhen, Guangdong, China; Advanced Biomedical Instrumentation Centre, Hong Kong Science Park, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong.
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6
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Aggad D, Brouilly N, Omi S, Essmann CL, Dehapiot B, Savage-Dunn C, Richard F, Cazevieille C, Politi KA, Hall DH, Pujol R, Pujol N. Meisosomes, folded membrane microdomains between the apical extracellular matrix and epidermis. eLife 2023; 12:e75906. [PMID: 36913486 PMCID: PMC10010689 DOI: 10.7554/elife.75906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Apical extracellular matrices (aECMs) form a physical barrier to the environment. In Caenorhabditis elegans, the epidermal aECM, the cuticle, is composed mainly of different types of collagen, associated in circumferential ridges separated by furrows. Here, we show that in mutants lacking furrows, the normal intimate connection between the epidermis and the cuticle is lost, specifically at the lateral epidermis, where, in contrast to the dorsal and ventral epidermis, there are no hemidesmosomes. At the ultrastructural level, there is a profound alteration of structures that we term 'meisosomes,' in reference to eisosomes in yeast. We show that meisosomes are composed of stacked parallel folds of the epidermal plasma membrane, alternately filled with cuticle. We propose that just as hemidesmosomes connect the dorsal and ventral epidermis, above the muscles, to the cuticle, meisosomes connect the lateral epidermis to it. Moreover, furrow mutants present marked modifications of the biomechanical properties of their skin and exhibit a constitutive damage response in the epidermis. As meisosomes co-localise to macrodomains enriched in phosphatidylinositol (4,5) bisphosphate, they could conceivably act, like eisosomes, as signalling platforms, to relay tensile information from the aECM to the underlying epidermis, as part of an integrated stress response to damage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dina Aggad
- Aix Marseille Univ, INSERM, CNRS, CIML, Turing Centre for Living SystemsMarseilleFrance
| | - Nicolas Brouilly
- Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, IBDM, Turing Centre for Living SystemsMarseilleFrance
| | - Shizue Omi
- Aix Marseille Univ, INSERM, CNRS, CIML, Turing Centre for Living SystemsMarseilleFrance
| | - Clara Luise Essmann
- Department of Computer Science, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
- Bio3/Bioinformatics and Molecular Genetics, Albert-Ludwigs-UniversityFreiburgGermany
| | - Benoit Dehapiot
- Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, IBDM, Turing Centre for Living SystemsMarseilleFrance
| | - Cathy Savage-Dunn
- Department of Biology, Queens College and the Graduate Center, CUNYFlushingUnited States
| | - Fabrice Richard
- Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, IBDM, Turing Centre for Living SystemsMarseilleFrance
| | - Chantal Cazevieille
- INM, Institut des Neurosciences de Montpellier, Plateau de microscopie électronique, INSERM, Université de MontpellierMontpellierFrance
| | - Kristin A Politi
- Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of MedicineNew YorkUnited States
| | - David H Hall
- Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of MedicineNew YorkUnited States
| | - Remy Pujol
- INM, Institut des Neurosciences de Montpellier, Plateau de microscopie électronique, INSERM, Université de MontpellierMontpellierFrance
| | - Nathalie Pujol
- Aix Marseille Univ, INSERM, CNRS, CIML, Turing Centre for Living SystemsMarseilleFrance
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7
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Naturale VF, Pickett MA, Feldman JL. Context matters: Lessons in epithelial polarity from the Caenorhabditis elegans intestine and other tissues. Curr Top Dev Biol 2023; 154:37-71. [PMID: 37100523 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2023.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/28/2023]
Abstract
Epithelia are tissues with diverse morphologies and functions across metazoans, ranging from vast cell sheets encasing internal organs to internal tubes facilitating nutrient uptake, all of which require establishment of apical-basolateral polarity axes. While all epithelia tend to polarize the same components, how these components are deployed to drive polarization is largely context-dependent and likely shaped by tissue-specific differences in development and ultimate functions of polarizing primordia. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) offers exceptional imaging and genetic tools and possesses unique epithelia with well-described origins and roles, making it an excellent model to investigate polarity mechanisms. In this review, we highlight the interplay between epithelial polarization, development, and function by describing symmetry breaking and polarity establishment in a particularly well-characterized epithelium, the C. elegans intestine. We compare intestinal polarization to polarity programs in two other C. elegans epithelia, the pharynx and epidermis, correlating divergent mechanisms with tissue-specific differences in geometry, embryonic environment, and function. Together, we emphasize the importance of investigating polarization mechanisms against the backdrop of tissue-specific contexts, while also underscoring the benefits of cross-tissue comparisons of polarity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor F Naturale
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Melissa A Pickett
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States; Department of Biological Sciences, San José State University, San José, CA, United States
| | - Jessica L Feldman
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States.
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8
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Lynch AM, Zhu Y, Lucas BG, Winkelman JD, Bai K, Martin SCT, Block S, Slabodnick MM, Audhya A, Goldstein B, Pettitt J, Gardel ML, Hardin J. TES-1/Tes and ZYX-1/Zyxin protect junctional actin networks under tension during epidermal morphogenesis in the C. elegans embryo. Curr Biol 2022; 32:5189-5199.e6. [PMID: 36384139 PMCID: PMC9729467 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.10.045] [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: 06/08/2022] [Revised: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
LIM-domain-containing repeat (LCR) proteins are recruited to strained actin filaments within stress fibers in cultured cells,1,2,3 but their roles at cell-cell junctions in living organisms have not been extensively studied. Here, we show that the Caenorhabditis elegans LCR proteins TES-1/Tes and ZYX-1/Zyxin are recruited to apical junctions during embryonic elongation when junctions are under tension. In genetic backgrounds in which embryonic elongation fails, junctional recruitment is severely compromised. The two proteins display complementary patterns of expression: TES-1 is expressed in lateral (seam) epidermal cells, whereas ZYX-1 is expressed in dorsal and ventral epidermal cells. tes-1 and zyx-1 mutant embryos display junctional F-actin defects. The loss of either protein strongly enhances morphogenetic defects in hypomorphic mutant backgrounds for cadherin/catenin complex (CCC) components. The LCR regions of TES-1 and ZYX-1 are recruited to stress fiber strain sites (SFSSs) in cultured vertebrate cells. Together, these data establish TES-1 and ZYX-1 as components of a multicellular, tension-sensitive system that stabilizes the junctional actin cytoskeleton during embryonic morphogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison M Lynch
- Program in Genetics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Yuyun Zhu
- Program in Genetics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Bethany G Lucas
- Department of Biology, Regis University, 3333 Regis Boulevard, Denver, CO 80221, USA
| | - Jonathan D Winkelman
- Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Keliya Bai
- University of Aberdeen, Institute of Medical Sciences, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK
| | | | - Samuel Block
- Department of Biomolecular Chemistry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Mark M Slabodnick
- Department of Biology, Knox University, Galesburg, IL 61401, USA; Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Anjon Audhya
- Department of Biomolecular Chemistry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Bob Goldstein
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Jonathan Pettitt
- University of Aberdeen, Institute of Medical Sciences, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK
| | - Margaret L Gardel
- Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; Department of Physics, James Franck Institute and Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Jeff Hardin
- Program in Genetics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA; Biophysics Program, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA; Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
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9
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Curantz C, Bailleul R, Castro-Scherianz M, Hidalgo M, Durande M, Graner F, Manceau M. Cell shape anisotropy contributes to self-organized feather pattern fidelity in birds. PLoS Biol 2022; 20:e3001807. [PMID: 36215298 PMCID: PMC9584522 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Revised: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Developing tissues can self-organize into a variety of patterned structures through the stabilization of stochastic fluctuations in their molecular and cellular properties. While molecular factors and cell dynamics contributing to self-organization have been identified in vivo, events channeling self-organized systems such that they achieve stable pattern outcomes remain unknown. Here, we described natural variation in the fidelity of self-organized arrays formed by feather follicle precursors in bird embryos. By surveying skin cells prior to and during tissue self-organization and performing species-specific ex vivo drug treatments and mechanical stress tests, we demonstrated that pattern fidelity depends on the initial amplitude of cell anisotropy in regions of the developing dermis competent to produce a pattern. Using live imaging, we showed that cell shape anisotropy is associated with a limited increase in cell motility for sharp and precisely located primordia formation, and thus, proper pattern geometry. These results evidence a mechanism through which initial tissue properties ensure stability in self-organization and thus, reproducible pattern production. A study of natural variation in feather pattern geometry and a combination of pharmacological and mechanical manipulations ex vivo provides evidence for a mechanism by which initial tissue properties ensure stability in self-organization and species-specific pattern production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camille Curantz
- Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Biology, CNRS UMR7241, INSERM U1050, Collège de France, Paris, France
- Sorbonne University, UPMC Paris VI, Paris, France
- Centre for Chromosome Biology, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Richard Bailleul
- Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Biology, CNRS UMR7241, INSERM U1050, Collège de France, Paris, France
- Sorbonne University, UPMC Paris VI, Paris, France
- Developmental Biology & Cell Biology and Biophysics Units, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - María Castro-Scherianz
- Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Biology, CNRS UMR7241, INSERM U1050, Collège de France, Paris, France
| | - Magdalena Hidalgo
- Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Biology, CNRS UMR7241, INSERM U1050, Collège de France, Paris, France
| | - Melina Durande
- Matière et Systèmes Complexes, Université de Paris, CNRS UMR 7057, Paris, France
| | - François Graner
- Matière et Systèmes Complexes, Université de Paris, CNRS UMR 7057, Paris, France
| | - Marie Manceau
- Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Biology, CNRS UMR7241, INSERM U1050, Collège de France, Paris, France
- * E-mail:
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10
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Serre JM, Lucas B, Martin SCT, Heier JA, Shao X, Hardin J. C. elegans srGAP is an α-catenin M domain-binding protein that strengthens cadherin-dependent adhesion during morphogenesis. Development 2022; 149:dev200775. [PMID: 36125129 PMCID: PMC10655919 DOI: 10.1242/dev.200775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The cadherin-catenin complex (CCC) is central to embryonic development and tissue repair, yet how CCC binding partners function alongside core CCC components remains poorly understood. Here, we establish a previously unappreciated role for an evolutionarily conserved protein, the slit-robo GTPase-activating protein SRGP-1/srGAP, in cadherin-dependent morphogenetic processes in the Caenorhabditis elegans embryo. SRGP-1 binds to the M domain of the core CCC component, HMP-1/α-catenin, via its C terminus. The SRGP-1 C terminus is sufficient to target it to adherens junctions, but only during later embryonic morphogenesis, when junctional tension is known to increase. Surprisingly, mutations that disrupt stabilizing salt bridges in the M domain block this recruitment. Loss of SRGP-1 leads to an increase in mobility and decrease of junctional HMP-1. In sensitized genetic backgrounds with weakened adherens junctions, loss of SRGP-1 leads to late embryonic failure. Rescue of these phenotypes requires the C terminus of SRGP-1 but also other domains of the protein. Taken together, these data establish a role for an srGAP in stabilizing and organizing the CCC during epithelial morphogenesis by binding to a partially closed conformation of α-catenin at junctions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel M. Serre
- Program in Genetics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Bethany Lucas
- Department of Biology, Regis University, 3333 Regis Blvd., Denver, CO 80221, USA
| | - Sterling C. T. Martin
- Biophysics Graduate Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Jonathon A. Heier
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Xiangqiang Shao
- Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Jeff Hardin
- Program in Genetics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
- Biophysics Graduate Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
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11
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Dedroog LM, Deschaume O, Abrego CJG, Koos E, de Coene Y, Vananroye A, Thielemans W, Bartic C, Lettinga MP. Stress-controlled shear flow alignment of collagen type I hydrogel systems. Acta Biomater 2022; 150:128-137. [PMID: 35842033 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2022.07.008] [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: 02/09/2022] [Revised: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Disease research and drug screening platforms require in vitro model systems with cellular cues resembling those of natural tissues. Fibrillar alignment, occurring naturally in extracellular matrices, is one of the crucial attributes in tissue development. Obtaining fiber alignment in 3D, in vitro remains an important challenge due to non-linear material characteristics. Here, we report a cell-compatible, shear stress-based method allowing to obtain 3D homogeneously aligned fibrillar collagen hydrogels. Controlling the shear-stress during gelation results in low strain rates, with negligible effects on the viability of embedded SH-SY5Y cells. Our approach offers reproducibility and tunability through a paradigm shift: The shear-stress initiation moment, being the critical optimization parameter in the process, is related to the modulus of the developing gel, whereas state of the art methods often rely on a predefined time to initiate the alignment procedure. After curing, the induced 3D alignment is maintained after the release of stress, with a linear relation between the total acquired strain and the fiber alignment. This method is generally applicable to 3D fibrillar materials and stress/pressure-controlled setups, making it a valuable addition to the fast-growing field of tissue engineering. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Controlling fiber alignment in vitro 3D hydrogels is crucial for developing physiologically relevant model systems. However, it remains challenging due to the non-linear material characteristics of fibrillar hydrogels, limiting the scalability and repeatability. Our approach tackles these challenges by utilizing a stress-controlled rheometer allowing us to monitor structural changes in situ and determine the optimal moment for applying a shear-stress inducing alignment. By careful parameter control, we infer the relationship between time, induced strain, alignment and biocompatibility. This tunable and reproducible method is both scalable and generally applicable to any fibrillar hydrogel, therefore, we believe it is useful for research investigating the link between matrix anisotropy and cell behavior in 3D systems, organ-on-chip technologies and drug research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lens M Dedroog
- Soft Matter Physics and Biophysics Unit, Department of Physics and Astronomy, KU Leuven, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Olivier Deschaume
- Soft Matter Physics and Biophysics Unit, Department of Physics and Astronomy, KU Leuven, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Christian J Garcia Abrego
- Soft Matter Physics and Biophysics Unit, Department of Physics and Astronomy, KU Leuven, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Erin Koos
- Soft Matter, Rheology and Technology, Department of Chemical Engineering, KU Leuven, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Yovan de Coene
- Molecular Imaging and Photonics Unit, Department of Chemistry, KU Leuven, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Anja Vananroye
- Soft Matter, Rheology and Technology, Department of Chemical Engineering, KU Leuven, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Wim Thielemans
- Sustainable Materials Lab Research Group, Department of Chemical Engineering, KU Leuven, Campus Kulak Kortrijk, 8500 Kortrijk, Belgium
| | - Carmen Bartic
- Soft Matter Physics and Biophysics Unit, Department of Physics and Astronomy, KU Leuven, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Minne P Lettinga
- Soft Matter Physics and Biophysics Unit, Department of Physics and Astronomy, KU Leuven, 3001 Leuven, Belgium; Biological Information Processing IB-4, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany.
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12
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Fierling J, John A, Delorme B, Torzynski A, Blanchard GB, Lye CM, Popkova A, Malandain G, Sanson B, Étienne J, Marmottant P, Quilliet C, Rauzi M. Embryo-scale epithelial buckling forms a propagating furrow that initiates gastrulation. Nat Commun 2022; 13:3348. [PMID: 35688832 PMCID: PMC9187723 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30493-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell apical constriction driven by actomyosin contraction forces is a conserved mechanism during tissue folding in embryo development. While much is now understood of the molecular mechanism responsible for apical constriction and of the tissue-scale integration of the ensuing in-plane deformations, it is still not clear if apical actomyosin contraction forces are necessary or sufficient per se to drive tissue folding. To tackle this question, we use the Drosophila embryo model system that forms a furrow on the ventral side, initiating mesoderm internalization. Past computational models support the idea that cell apical contraction forces may not be sufficient and that active or passive cell apico-basal forces may be necessary to drive cell wedging leading to tissue furrowing. By using 3D computational modelling and in toto embryo image analysis and manipulation, we now challenge this idea and show that embryo-scale force balance at the tissue surface, rather than cell-autonomous shape changes, is necessary and sufficient to drive a buckling of the epithelial surface forming a furrow which propagates and initiates embryo gastrulation. Drosophila mesoderm invagination begins with the formation of a furrow. Here they show that a long-range mechanism, powered by actomyosin contraction between the embryo polar caps, works like a ‘cheese-cutter wire’ indenting the tissue surface and folding it into a propagating furrow.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alphy John
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Inserm, iBV, Nice, France
| | | | | | - Guy B Blanchard
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, Great-Britain, England
| | - Claire M Lye
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, Great-Britain, England
| | - Anna Popkova
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Inserm, iBV, Nice, France
| | | | - Bénédicte Sanson
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, Great-Britain, England
| | | | | | | | - Matteo Rauzi
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Inserm, iBV, Nice, France.
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13
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Palumbo S, Benvenuti E, Fraldi M. Actomyosin contractility and buckling of microtubules in nucleation, growth and disassembling of focal adhesions. Biomech Model Mechanobiol 2022; 21:1187-1200. [PMID: 35614374 PMCID: PMC9283365 DOI: 10.1007/s10237-022-01584-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Building up and maintenance of cytoskeletal structure in living cells are force-dependent processes involving a dynamic chain of polymerization and depolymerization events, which are also at the basis of cells’ remodelling and locomotion. All these phenomena develop by establishing cell–matrix interfaces made of protein complexes, known as focal adhesions, which govern mechanosensing and mechanotransduction mechanisms mediated by stress transmission between cell interior and external environment. Within this framework, by starting from a work by Cao et al. (Biophys J 109:1807–1817, 2015), we here investigate the role played by actomyosin contractility of stress fibres in nucleation, growth and disassembling of focal adhesions. In particular, we propose a tensegrity model of an adherent cell incorporating nonlinear elasticity and unstable behaviours, which provides a new kinematical interpretation of cellular contractile forces and describes how stress fibres, microtubules and adhesion plaques interact mechanobiologically. The results confirm some experimental evidences and suggest how the actomyosin contraction level could be exploited by cells to actively control their adhesion, eventually triggering cytoskeleton reconfigurations and migration processes observed in both physiological conditions and diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Palumbo
- Department of Structures for Engineering and Architecture, University of Napoli "Federico II", Napoli, Italy
| | - E Benvenuti
- Department of Engineering, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - M Fraldi
- Department of Structures for Engineering and Architecture, University of Napoli "Federico II", Napoli, Italy.
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14
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Lehmann C, Pohl C. A Maternal-Effect Toxin Affects Epithelial Differentiation and Tissue Mechanics in Caenorhabditis elegans. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:743496. [PMID: 34722524 PMCID: PMC8551626 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.743496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Selfish genetic elements that act as post-segregation distorters cause lethality in non-carrier individuals after fertilization. Two post-segregation distorters have been previously identified in Caenorhabditis elegans, the peel-1/zeel-1 and the sup-35/pha-1 elements. These elements seem to act as modification-rescue systems, also called toxin/antidote pairs. Here we show that the maternal-effect toxin/zygotic antidote pair sup-35/pha-1 is required for proper expression of apical junction (AJ) components in epithelia and that sup-35 toxicity increases when pathways that establish and maintain basal epithelial characteristics, die-1, elt-1, lin-26, and vab-10, are compromised. We demonstrate that pha-1(e2123) embryos, which lack the antidote, are defective in epidermal morphogenesis and frequently fail to elongate. Moreover, seam cells are frequently misshaped and mispositioned and cell bond tension is reduced in pha-1(e2123) embryos, suggesting altered tissue material properties in the epidermis. Several aspects of this phenotype can also be induced in wild-type embryos by exerting mechanical stress through uniaxial loading. Seam cell shape, tissue mechanics, and elongation can be restored in pha-1(e2123) embryos if expression of the AJ molecule DLG-1/Discs large is reduced. Thus, our experiments suggest that maternal-effect toxicity disrupts proper development of the epidermis which involves distinct transcriptional regulators and AJ components.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Lehmann
- Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences and Institute of Biochemistry II, Medical Faculty, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Christian Pohl
- Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences and Institute of Biochemistry II, Medical Faculty, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
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15
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Duclut C, Paijmans J, Inamdar MM, Modes CD, Jülicher F. Nonlinear rheology of cellular networks. Cells Dev 2021; 168:203746. [PMID: 34592496 DOI: 10.1016/j.cdev.2021.203746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Revised: 06/19/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Morphogenesis depends crucially on the complex rheological properties of cell tissues and on their ability to maintain mechanical integrity while rearranging at long times. In this paper, we study the rheology of polygonal cellular networks described by a vertex model in the presence of fluctuations. We use a triangulation method to decompose shear into cell shape changes and cell rearrangements. Considering the steady-state stress under constant shear, we observe nonlinear shear-thinning behavior at all magnitudes of the fluctuations, and an even stronger nonlinear regime at lower values of the fluctuations. We successfully capture this nonlinear rheology by a mean-field model that describes the tissue in terms of cell elongation and cell rearrangements. We furthermore introduce anisotropic active stresses in the vertex model and analyze their effect on rheology. We include this anisotropy in the mean-field model and show that it recapitulates the behavior observed in the simulations. Our work clarifies how tissue rheology is related to stochastic cell rearrangements and provides a simple biophysical model to describe biological tissues. Further, it highlights the importance of nonlinearities when discussing tissue mechanics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlie Duclut
- Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Nöthnitzer Str. 8, 01187 Dresden, Germany
| | - Joris Paijmans
- Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Nöthnitzer Str. 8, 01187 Dresden, Germany
| | - Mandar M Inamdar
- Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai 400076, India
| | - Carl D Modes
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG), Dresden 01307, Germany; Center for Systems Biology Dresden, Pfotenhauerstrasse 108, 01307 Dresden, Germany; Cluster of Excellence, Physics of Life, TU Dresden, Dresden 01307, Germany
| | - Frank Jülicher
- Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Nöthnitzer Str. 8, 01187 Dresden, Germany; Center for Systems Biology Dresden, Pfotenhauerstrasse 108, 01307 Dresden, Germany; Cluster of Excellence, Physics of Life, TU Dresden, Dresden 01307, Germany.
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16
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Fang C, Wei X, Shao X, Lin Y. Force-mediated cellular anisotropy and plasticity dictate the elongation dynamics of embryos. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:eabg3264. [PMID: 34193426 PMCID: PMC8245039 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abg3264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2020] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
We developed a unified dynamic model to explain how cellular anisotropy and plasticity, induced by alignment and severing/rebundling of actin filaments, dictate the elongation dynamics of Caenorhabditis elegans embryos. It was found that the gradual alignment of F-actins must be synchronized with the development of intracellular forces for the embryo to elongate, which is then further sustained by muscle contraction-triggered plastic deformation of cells. In addition, we showed that preestablished anisotropy is essential for the proper onset of the process while defects in the integrity or bundling kinetics of actin bundles result in abnormal embryo elongation, all in good agreement with experimental observations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Fang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- HKU-Shenzhen Institute of Research and Innovation (HKU-SIRI), Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Xi Wei
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- HKU-Shenzhen Institute of Research and Innovation (HKU-SIRI), Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Xueying Shao
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- HKU-Shenzhen Institute of Research and Innovation (HKU-SIRI), Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Yuan Lin
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
- HKU-Shenzhen Institute of Research and Innovation (HKU-SIRI), Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
- Advanced Biomedical Instrumentation Centre, Hong Kong Science Park, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong
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17
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Drewnik ED, Wiesenfahrt T, Smit RB, Park YJ, Pallotto LM, Mains PE. Tissue-specific regulation of epidermal contraction during C. elegans embryonic morphogenesis. G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS 2021; 11:6273666. [PMID: 33974063 PMCID: PMC8495928 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkab164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Actin and myosin mediate the epidermal cell contractions that elongate the Caenorhabditis elegans embryo from an ovoid to a tubular-shaped worm. Contraction occurs mainly in the lateral epidermal cells, while the dorsoventral epidermis plays a more passive role. Two parallel pathways trigger actinomyosin contraction, one mediated by LET-502/Rho kinase and the other by PAK-1/p21 activated kinase. A number of genes mediating morphogenesis have been shown to be sufficient when expressed either laterally or dorsoventrally. Additional genes show either lateral or dorsoventral phenotypes. This led us to a model where contractile genes have discrete functions in one or the other cell type. We tested this by examining several genes for either lateral or dorsoventral sufficiency. LET-502 expression in the lateral cells was sufficient to drive elongation. MEL-11/Myosin phosphatase, which antagonizes contraction, and PAK-1 were expected to function dorsoventrally, but we could not detect tissue-specific sufficiency. Double mutants of lethal alleles predicted to decrease lateral contraction with those thought to increase dorsoventral force were previously shown to be viable. We hypothesized that these mutant combinations shifted the contractile force from the lateral to the dorsoventral cells and so the embryos would elongate with less lateral cell contraction. This was tested by examining 10 single and double mutant strains. In most cases, elongation proceeded without a noticeable alteration in lateral contraction. We suggest that many embryonic elongation genes likely act in both lateral and dorsoventral cells, even though they may have their primary focus in one or the other cell type.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth D Drewnik
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Tobias Wiesenfahrt
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Ryan B Smit
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Ye-Jean Park
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Linda M Pallotto
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Paul E Mains
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
- Corresponding author: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Dr. NW, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada.
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18
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Khalilgharibi N, Mao Y. To form and function: on the role of basement membrane mechanics in tissue development, homeostasis and disease. Open Biol 2021; 11:200360. [PMID: 33593159 PMCID: PMC8061686 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.200360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The basement membrane (BM) is a special type of extracellular matrix that lines the basal side of epithelial and endothelial tissues. Functionally, the BM is important for providing physical and biochemical cues to the overlying cells, sculpting the tissue into its correct size and shape. In this review, we focus on recent studies that have unveiled the complex mechanical properties of the BM. We discuss how these properties can change during development, homeostasis and disease via different molecular mechanisms, and the subsequent impact on tissue form and function in a variety of organisms. We also explore how better characterization of BM mechanics can contribute to disease diagnosis and treatment, as well as development of better in silico and in vitro models that not only impact the fields of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, but can also reduce the use of animals in research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nargess Khalilgharibi
- 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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19
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Abstract
As multi-cellular organisms evolved from small clusters of cells to complex metazoans, biological tubes became essential for life. Tubes are typically thought of as mainly playing a role in transport, with the hollow space (lumen) acting as a conduit to distribute nutrients and waste, or for gas exchange. However, biological tubes also provide a platform for physiological, mechanical, and structural functions. Indeed, tubulogenesis is often a critical aspect of morphogenesis and organogenesis. C. elegans is made up of tubes that provide structural support and protection (the epidermis), perform the mechanical and enzymatic processes of digestion (the buccal cavity, pharynx, intestine, and rectum), transport fluids for osmoregulation (the excretory system), and execute the functions necessary for reproduction (the germline, spermatheca, uterus and vulva). Here we review our current understanding of the genetic regulation, molecular processes, and physical forces involved in tubulogenesis and morphogenesis of the epidermal, digestive and excretory systems in C. elegans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel D Shaye
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Illinois at Chicago-College of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States.
| | - Martha C Soto
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ, United States.
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20
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Abstract
Epithelial cells possess the ability to change their shape in response to mechanical stress by remodelling their junctions and their cytoskeleton. This property lies at the heart of tissue morphogenesis in embryos. A key feature of embryonic cell shape changes is that they result from repeated mechanical inputs that make them partially irreversible at each step. Past work on cell rheology has rarely addressed how changes can become irreversible in a complex tissue. Here, we review new and exciting findings dissecting some of the physical principles and molecular mechanisms accounting for irreversible cell shape changes. We discuss concepts of mechanical ratchets and tension thresholds required to induce permanent cell deformations akin to mechanical plasticity. Work in different systems has highlighted the importance of actin remodelling and of E-cadherin endocytosis. We also list some novel experimental approaches to fine-tune mechanical tension, using optogenetics, magnetic beads or stretching of suspended epithelial tissues. Finally, we discuss some mathematical models that have been used to describe the quantitative aspects of accounting for mechanical cell plasticity and offer perspectives on this rapidly evolving field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly Molnar
- Sorbonne Université, Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine (IBPS), CNRS UMR7622, 9 Quai St-Bernard, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Michel Labouesse
- Sorbonne Université, Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine (IBPS), CNRS UMR7622, 9 Quai St-Bernard, 75005 Paris, France
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21
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Cohen JD, Sundaram MV. C. elegans Apical Extracellular Matrices Shape Epithelia. J Dev Biol 2020; 8:E23. [PMID: 33036165 PMCID: PMC7712855 DOI: 10.3390/jdb8040023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2020] [Revised: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 08/27/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Apical extracellular matrices (aECMs) coat exposed surfaces of epithelia to shape developing tissues and protect them from environmental insults. Despite their widespread importance for human health, aECMs are poorly understood compared to basal and stromal ECMs. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans contains a variety of distinct aECMs, some of which share many of the same types of components (lipids, lipoproteins, collagens, zona pellucida domain proteins, chondroitin glycosaminoglycans and proteoglycans) with mammalian aECMs. These aECMs include the eggshell, a glycocalyx-like pre-cuticle, both collagenous and chitin-based cuticles, and other understudied aECMs of internal epithelia. C. elegans allows rapid genetic manipulations and live imaging of fluorescently-tagged aECM components, and is therefore providing new insights into aECM structure, trafficking, assembly, and functions in tissue shaping.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Meera V. Sundaram
- Department of Genetics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine 415 Curie Blvd, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6145, USA;
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22
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Mechanical induction and competence in epithelial morphogenesis. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2020; 63:36-44. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2020.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2020] [Revised: 02/27/2020] [Accepted: 03/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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23
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Gillard G, Röper K. Control of cell shape during epithelial morphogenesis: recent advances. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2020; 63:1-8. [PMID: 32092616 DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2020.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2019] [Revised: 01/15/2020] [Accepted: 01/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Morphogenesis is an essential process by which a given tissue, organ or organism acquires its final shape. A select number of mechanisms are used in order to drive epithelial morphogenesis, including cell shape changes as well as cell death or cell division. A cell's shape results from the combination of intrinsic properties of the actomyosin and microtubule (MTs) cytoskeletons, and extrinsic properties due to physical interactions with the neighbouring environment. While we now have a good understanding of the genetic pathways and some of the signalling pathways controlling cell shape changes, the mechanical properties of cells and their role in morphogenesis remain largely unexplored. Recent improvements in microscopy techniques and the development of modelling and quantitative methods have enabled a better understanding of the bio-mechanical events controlling cell shape during morphogenesis. This review aims to highlight recent findings elegantly unravelling and quantifying the contribution of mechanical forces during morphogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ghislain Gillard
- MRC-Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge CB2 0QH, UK.
| | - Katja Röper
- MRC-Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge CB2 0QH, UK.
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24
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Marrese M, Antonovaité N, Nelemans BKA, Ahmadzada A, Iannuzzi D, Smit TH. In vivo characterization of chick embryo mesoderm by optical coherence tomography-assisted microindentation. FASEB J 2020; 34:12269-12277. [PMID: 33411409 PMCID: PMC7497264 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202000896r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Revised: 06/17/2020] [Accepted: 06/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Embryos are growing organisms with highly heterogeneous properties in space and time. Understanding the mechanical properties is a crucial prerequisite for the investigation of morphogenesis. During the last 10 years, new techniques have been developed to evaluate the mechanical properties of biological tissues in vivo. To address this need, we employed a new instrument that, via the combination of micro‐indentation with Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), allows us to determine both, the spatial distribution of mechanical properties of chick embryos, and the structural changes in real‐time. We report here the stiffness measurements on the live chicken embryo, from the mesenchymal tailbud to the epithelialized somites. The storage modulus of the mesoderm increases from (176 ± 18) Pa in the tail to (716 ± 117) Pa in the somitic region (mean ± SEM, n = 12). The midline has a mean storage modulus of (947 ± 111) Pa in the caudal (PSM) presomitic mesoderm (mean ± SEM, n = 12), indicating a stiff rod along the body axis, which thereby mechanically supports the surrounding tissue. The difference in stiffness between midline and presomitic mesoderm decreases as the mesoderm forms somites. This study provides an efficient method for the biomechanical characterization of soft biological tissues in vivo and shows that the mechanical properties strongly relate to different morphological features of the investigated regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marica Marrese
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Laser LaB Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Nelda Antonovaité
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Laser LaB Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Ben K A Nelemans
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam Movement Sciences, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Developmental Biology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Ariana Ahmadzada
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Laser LaB Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Davide Iannuzzi
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Laser LaB Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Theodoor H Smit
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam Movement Sciences, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Medical Biology, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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25
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Meeuse MWM, Hauser YP, Morales Moya LJ, Hendriks G, Eglinger J, Bogaarts G, Tsiairis C, Großhans H. Developmental function and state transitions of a gene expression oscillator in Caenorhabditis elegans. Mol Syst Biol 2020; 16:e9498. [PMID: 32687264 PMCID: PMC7370751 DOI: 10.15252/msb.20209498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2020] [Revised: 06/15/2020] [Accepted: 06/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Gene expression oscillators can structure biological events temporally and spatially. Different biological functions benefit from distinct oscillator properties. Thus, finite developmental processes rely on oscillators that start and stop at specific times, a poorly understood behavior. Here, we have characterized a massive gene expression oscillator comprising > 3,700 genes in Caenorhabditis elegans larvae. We report that oscillations initiate in embryos, arrest transiently after hatching and in response to perturbation, and cease in adults. Experimental observation of the transitions between oscillatory and non-oscillatory states at high temporal resolution reveals an oscillator operating near a Saddle Node on Invariant Cycle (SNIC) bifurcation. These findings constrain the architecture and mathematical models that can represent this oscillator. They also reveal that oscillator arrests occur reproducibly in a specific phase. Since we find oscillations to be coupled to developmental processes, including molting, this characteristic of SNIC bifurcations endows the oscillator with the potential to halt larval development at defined intervals, and thereby execute a developmental checkpoint function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milou WM Meeuse
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI)BaselSwitzerland
- University of BaselBaselSwitzerland
| | - Yannick P Hauser
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI)BaselSwitzerland
- University of BaselBaselSwitzerland
| | | | - Gert‐Jan Hendriks
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI)BaselSwitzerland
- University of BaselBaselSwitzerland
| | - Jan Eglinger
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI)BaselSwitzerland
| | | | - Charisios Tsiairis
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI)BaselSwitzerland
| | - Helge Großhans
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI)BaselSwitzerland
- University of BaselBaselSwitzerland
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26
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Takatani S, Verger S, Okamoto T, Takahashi T, Hamant O, Motose H. Microtubule Response to Tensile Stress Is Curbed by NEK6 to Buffer Growth Variation in the Arabidopsis Hypocotyl. Curr Biol 2020; 30:1491-1503.e2. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.02.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2019] [Revised: 01/11/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
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27
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Game of Tissues: How the Epidermis Thrones C. elegans Shape. J Dev Biol 2020; 8:jdb8010007. [PMID: 32182901 PMCID: PMC7151205 DOI: 10.3390/jdb8010007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2020] [Revised: 03/05/2020] [Accepted: 03/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The versatility of epithelial cell structure is universally exploited by organisms in multiple contexts. Epithelial cells can establish diverse polarized axes within their tridimensional structure which enables them to flexibly communicate with their neighbors in a 360° range. Hence, these cells are central to multicellularity, and participate in diverse biological processes such as organismal development, growth or immune response and their misfunction ultimately impacts disease. During the development of an organism, the first task epidermal cells must complete is the formation of a continuous sheet, which initiates its own morphogenic process. In this review, we will focus on the C. elegans embryonic epithelial morphogenesis. We will describe how its formation, maturation, and spatial arrangements set the final shape of the nematode C. elegans. Special importance will be given to the tissue-tissue interactions, regulatory tissue-tissue feedback mechanisms and the players orchestrating the process.
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28
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Chan FY, Silva AM, Carvalho AX. Using the Four-Cell C. elegans Embryo to Study Contractile Ring Dynamics During Cytokinesis. Methods Mol Biol 2020; 2101:297-325. [PMID: 31879911 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-0219-5_18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Cytokinesis is the process that completes cell division by partitioning the contents of the mother cell between the two daughter cells. It involves the highly regulated assembly and constriction of an actomyosin contractile ring, whose function is to pinch the mother cell in two. Research on the contractile ring has particularly focused on the signaling mechanisms that dictate when and where the ring is formed. In vivo studies of ring constriction are however scarce and its mechanistic understanding is therefore limited. Here we present several experimental approaches for monitoring ring constriction in vivo, using the four-cell C. elegans embryo as model. These approaches allow for the ring to be perturbed only after it forms and include the combination of live imaging with acute drug treatments, temperature-sensitive mutants and rapid temperature shifts, as well as laser microsurgery. In addition, we explain how to combine these with RNAi-mediated depletion of specific components of the cytokinetic machinery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fung Yi Chan
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (i3S), Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular (IBMC), Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Ana Marta Silva
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (i3S), Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular (IBMC), Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Ana Xavier Carvalho
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (i3S), Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
- Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular (IBMC), Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
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29
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Rani G, Patri I. Importance of being cross-linked for the bacterial cell wall. Phys Rev E 2019; 100:062408. [PMID: 31962385 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.100.062408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The bacterial cell wall is primarily composed of a mesh of glycan strands cross-linked by peptide bridges and is essential for safeguarding the cell. The structure of the cell wall has to be stiff enough to bear the high turgor pressure and sufficiently tough to ensure protection against failure. Here we explore the role of various design features of the cell in enhancing the toughness of the cell wall. We explain how the glycan strand length distribution, the degree of cross-linking and the placement of the cross-links on the glycan strands can act in tandem to ensure that the cell wall offers sufficient resistance to propagation of cracks. Further, we suggest a possible mechanism by which peptide bond hydrolysis, via judicious cleaving of peptide cross-links, can act to mitigate this risk of failure. We also study the reinforcing effect of MreB cytoskeleton, which can offer a degree of safety to the cell wall. However, we show that the cross-linked structure of the cell wall is its primary line of defense against mechanical failure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Garima Rani
- Institute of Mathematical Sciences, C I T Campus, Chennai 600 113, India
- Homi Bhabha National Institute, Training School Complex, Anushakti Nagar, Mumbai 400094, India
| | - Issan Patri
- Chennai Mathematical Institute, SIPCOT IT Park, Siruseri, Chennai 603103, India
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30
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Pacquelet A, Jousseaume M, Etienne J, Michaux G. Simultaneous Regulation of Cytokinetic Furrow and Nucleus Positions by Cortical Tension Contributes to Proper DNA Segregation during Late Mitosis. Curr Biol 2019; 29:3766-3777.e4. [PMID: 31679940 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.09.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2019] [Revised: 08/13/2019] [Accepted: 09/06/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Coordinating mitotic spindle and cytokinetic furrow positioning is essential to ensure proper DNA segregation. Here, we present a novel mechanism, which corrects DNA segregation defects due to cytokinetic furrow mispositioning during the first division of C. elegans embryos. Correction of DNA segregation defects due to an abnormally anterior cytokinetic furrow relies on the concomitant and opposite displacements of the furrow and of the anterior nucleus toward the posterior and anterior poles of the embryo, respectively. It also coincides with cortical blebbing and an anteriorly directed cytoplasmic flow. Although microtubules contribute to nuclear displacement, relaxation of an excessive tension at the anterior cortex plays a central role in the correction process and simultaneously regulates cytoplasmic flow as well as nuclear and furrow displacements. This work thus reveals the existence of a so-far uncharacterized correction mechanism, which is critical to correct DNA segregation defects due to cytokinetic furrow mispositioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Pacquelet
- Univ Rennes, CNRS, IGDR (Institut de Génétique et de Développement de Rennes), UMR 6290, 2 Avenue du Professeur Léon Bernard, 35000 Rennes, France.
| | - Matthieu Jousseaume
- Univ Rennes, CNRS, IGDR (Institut de Génétique et de Développement de Rennes), UMR 6290, 2 Avenue du Professeur Léon Bernard, 35000 Rennes, France
| | - Jocelyn Etienne
- Univ Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, LIPhy, 140 Avenue de la Physique, 38402 Saint Martin d'Hères, France
| | - Grégoire Michaux
- Univ Rennes, CNRS, IGDR (Institut de Génétique et de Développement de Rennes), UMR 6290, 2 Avenue du Professeur Léon Bernard, 35000 Rennes, France
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31
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Khalipina D, Kaga Y, Dacher N, Chevalier NR. Smooth muscle contractility causes the gut to grow anisotropically. J R Soc Interface 2019; 16:20190484. [PMID: 31594523 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2019.0484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The intestine is the most anisotropically shaped organ, but, when grown in culture, embryonic intestinal stem cells form star- or sphere-shaped organoids. Here, we present evidence that spontaneous tonic and phasic contractions of the circular smooth muscle of the embryonic gut cause short-timescale elongation of the organ by a purely mechanical, self-squeezing effect. We present an innovative culture set-up to achieve embryonic gut growth in culture and demonstrate by three different methods (embryological, pharmacological and microsurgical) that gut elongational growth is compromised when smooth muscle contractions are inhibited. We conclude that the cumulated short-term mechanical deformations induced by circular smooth muscle lead to long-term anisotropic growth of the gut, thus demonstrating a self-consistent way by which the function of this organ (peristalsis) directs its shape (morphogenesis). Our model correctly predicts that longitudinal smooth muscle differentiation later in embryogenesis slows down elongation, and that several mice models with defective gut smooth muscle contractility also exhibit gut growth defects. We lay out a comprehensive scheme of forces acting on the gut during embryogenesis and of their role in the morphogenesis of this organ. This knowledge will help design efficient in vitro organ growth protocols and handle gut growth pathologies such as short bowel syndrome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Khalipina
- Laboratoire Matière et Systèmes Complexes CNRS UMR 7057, Université de Paris, 10 rue Alice Domon et Léonie Duquet, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Yusuke Kaga
- Laboratoire Matière et Systèmes Complexes CNRS UMR 7057, Université de Paris, 10 rue Alice Domon et Léonie Duquet, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Nicolas Dacher
- Laboratoire Matière et Systèmes Complexes CNRS UMR 7057, Université de Paris, 10 rue Alice Domon et Léonie Duquet, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Nicolas R Chevalier
- Laboratoire Matière et Systèmes Complexes CNRS UMR 7057, Université de Paris, 10 rue Alice Domon et Léonie Duquet, 75013 Paris, France
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32
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Lardennois A, Pásti G, Ferraro T, Llense F, Mahou P, Pontabry J, Rodriguez D, Kim S, Ono S, Beaurepaire E, Gally C, Labouesse M. An actin-based viscoplastic lock ensures progressive body-axis elongation. Nature 2019; 573:266-270. [PMID: 31462781 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-019-1509-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2018] [Accepted: 07/29/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Body-axis elongation constitutes a key step in animal development, laying out the final form of the entire animal. It relies on the interplay between intrinsic forces generated by molecular motors1-3, extrinsic forces exerted by adjacent cells4-7 and mechanical resistance forces due to tissue elasticity or friction8-10. Understanding how mechanical forces influence morphogenesis at the cellular and molecular level remains a challenge1. Recent work has outlined how small incremental steps power cell-autonomous epithelial shape changes1-3, which suggests the existence of specific mechanisms that stabilize cell shapes and counteract cell elasticity. Beyond the twofold stage, embryonic elongation in Caenorhabditis elegans is dependent on both muscle activity7 and the epidermis; the tension generated by muscle activity triggers a mechanotransduction pathway in the epidermis that promotes axis elongation7. Here we identify a network that stabilizes cell shapes in C. elegans embryos at a stage that involves non-autonomous mechanical interactions between epithelia and contractile cells. We searched for factors genetically or molecularly interacting with the p21-activating kinase homologue PAK-1 and acting in this pathway, thereby identifying the α-spectrin SPC-1. Combined absence of PAK-1 and SPC-1 induced complete axis retraction, owing to defective epidermal actin stress fibre. Modelling predicts that a mechanical viscoplastic deformation process can account for embryo shape stabilization. Molecular analysis suggests that the cellular basis for viscoplasticity originates from progressive shortening of epidermal microfilaments that are induced by muscle contractions relayed by actin-severing proteins and from formin homology 2 domain-containing protein 1 (FHOD-1) formin bundling. Our work thus identifies an essential molecular lock acting in a developmental ratchet-like process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alicia Lardennois
- CNRS UMR7622, Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine (IBPS), Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Gabriella Pásti
- IGBMC -CNRS UMR 7104, INSERM U964, Development and Stem Cells Department, Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch, France
| | - Teresa Ferraro
- CNRS UMR7622, Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine (IBPS), Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Flora Llense
- CNRS UMR7622, Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine (IBPS), Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Pierre Mahou
- INSERM U1182 - CNRS/ UMR7645, Laboratoire d'Optique et Biosciences, Ecole Polytechnique, Paris, France
| | - Julien Pontabry
- IGBMC -CNRS UMR 7104, INSERM U964, Development and Stem Cells Department, Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch, France.,RS2D, Mundolsheim, France
| | - David Rodriguez
- IGBMC -CNRS UMR 7104, INSERM U964, Development and Stem Cells Department, Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch, France
| | - Samantha Kim
- IGBMC -CNRS UMR 7104, INSERM U964, Development and Stem Cells Department, Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch, France
| | - Shoichiro Ono
- Departments of Pathology and Cell Biology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Emmanuel Beaurepaire
- INSERM U1182 - CNRS/ UMR7645, Laboratoire d'Optique et Biosciences, Ecole Polytechnique, Paris, France
| | - Christelle Gally
- IGBMC -CNRS UMR 7104, INSERM U964, Development and Stem Cells Department, Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch, France
| | - Michel Labouesse
- CNRS UMR7622, Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine (IBPS), Sorbonne Université, Paris, France. .,IGBMC -CNRS UMR 7104, INSERM U964, Development and Stem Cells Department, Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch, France.
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33
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Ben Amar M, Nassoy P, LeGoff L. Physics of growing biological tissues: the complex cross-talk between cell activity, growth and resistance. PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. SERIES A, MATHEMATICAL, PHYSICAL, AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES 2019; 377:20180070. [PMID: 30879412 PMCID: PMC6452036 DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2018.0070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/06/2019] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
For many organisms, shapes emerge from growth, which generates stresses, which in turn can feedback on growth. In this review, theoretical methods to analyse various aspects of morphogenesis are discussed with the aim to determine the most adapted method for tissue mechanics. We discuss the need to work at scales intermediate between cells and tissues and emphasize the use of finite elasticity for this. We detail the application of these ideas to four systems: active cells embedded in tissues, brain cortical convolutions, the cortex of Caenorhabditis elegans during elongation and finally the proliferation of epithelia on extracellular matrix. Numerical models well adapted to inhomogeneities are also presented. This article is part of the theme issue 'Rivlin's legacy in continuum mechanics and applied mathematics'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martine Ben Amar
- Laboratoire de Physique de l'Ecole normale supérieure, ENS, Université PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, 24 rue Lhomond, 75005 Paris, France
- Faculté de médecine, Institut Universitaire de Cancérologie, Sorbonne Université, 91 Bd de l'Hôpital, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Pierre Nassoy
- Laboratoire Photonique Numérique et Nanosciences, CNRS UMR 5298, Université de Bordeaux and Institut d'Optique F-33400 Talence, France
| | - Loic LeGoff
- CNRS, Centrale Marseille, Institut Fresnel, Aix Marseille Univ, Marseille, France
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34
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Force Transmission between Three Tissues Controls Bipolar Planar Polarity Establishment and Morphogenesis. Curr Biol 2019; 29:1360-1368.e4. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.02.059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2018] [Revised: 01/22/2019] [Accepted: 02/27/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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35
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Duda M, Kirkland NJ, Khalilgharibi N, Tozluoglu M, Yuen AC, Carpi N, Bove A, Piel M, Charras G, Baum B, Mao Y. Polarization of Myosin II Refines Tissue Material Properties to Buffer Mechanical Stress. Dev Cell 2019; 48:245-260.e7. [PMID: 30695698 PMCID: PMC6353629 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2018.12.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2017] [Revised: 11/26/2018] [Accepted: 12/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
As tissues develop, they are subjected to a variety of mechanical forces. Some of these forces are instrumental in the development of tissues, while others can result in tissue damage. Despite our extensive understanding of force-guided morphogenesis, we have only a limited understanding of how tissues prevent further morphogenesis once the shape is determined after development. Here, through the development of a tissue-stretching device, we uncover a mechanosensitive pathway that regulates tissue responses to mechanical stress through the polarization of actomyosin across the tissue. We show that stretch induces the formation of linear multicellular actomyosin cables, which depend on Diaphanous for their nucleation. These stiffen the epithelium, limiting further changes in shape, and prevent fractures from propagating across the tissue. Overall, this mechanism of force-induced changes in tissue mechanical properties provides a general model of force buffering that serves to preserve the shape of tissues under conditions of mechanical stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Duda
- MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Natalie J Kirkland
- MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Nargess Khalilgharibi
- MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK; London Centre for Nanotechnology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK; Centre for Computation, Mathematics and Physics in the Life Sciences and Experimental Biology (CoMPLEX), University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Melda Tozluoglu
- MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Alice C Yuen
- MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Nicolas Carpi
- Institut Curie, PSL Research University, CNRS, UMR 144, Paris 75005, France
| | - Anna Bove
- London Centre for Nanotechnology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK; Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Matthieu Piel
- Institut Curie, PSL Research University, CNRS, UMR 144, Paris 75005, France
| | - Guillaume Charras
- London Centre for Nanotechnology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK; Institute for the Physics of Living Systems, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK; Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Buzz Baum
- MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK; Institute for the Physics of Living Systems, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Yanlan Mao
- MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK; Institute for the Physics of Living Systems, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK; College of Information and Control, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210044, China.
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36
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Ben Amar M, Qiuyang-Qu P, Vuong-Brender TTK, Labouesse M. Assessing the Contribution of Active and Passive Stresses in C. elegans Elongation. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2018; 121:268102. [PMID: 30636158 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.121.268102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2018] [Revised: 10/17/2018] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
The role of the actomyosin network is investigated in the elongation of C. elegans during embryonic morphogenesis. We present a model of active elongating matter that combines prestress and passive stress in nonlinear elasticity. Using this model we revisit recently published data from laser ablation experiments to account for why cells under contraction can lead to an opening fracture. By taking into account the specific embryo geometry, we obtain quantitative predictions for the contractile forces exerted by the molecular motors myosin II for an elongation up to 70% of the initial length. This study demonstrates the importance of active processes in embryonic morphogenesis and the interplay between geometry and nonlinear mechanics during morphological events. In particular, it outlines the role of each connected layer of the epidermis compressed by an apical extracellular matrix that distributes the stresses during elongation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martine Ben Amar
- Laboratoire de Physique Statistique, Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University; Sorbonne Université, UPMC Univ Paris 06; CNRS; 24 rue Lhomond, 75005 Paris, France
- Institut Universitaire de Cancérologie, Faculté de médecine, Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris 6, 91 Bd de l'Hôpital, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Paul Qiuyang-Qu
- Laboratoire de Physique Statistique, Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University; Sorbonne Université, UPMC Univ Paris 06; CNRS; 24 rue Lhomond, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Thanh Thi Kim Vuong-Brender
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge CB2 0QH, United Kingdom
| | - Michel Labouesse
- Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement-Institut de Biologie Paris Seine (LBD-IBPS), Sorbonne Université, UPMC Univ Paris 06, CNRS, Paris, France
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37
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Doubrovinski K, Tchoufag J, Mandadapu K. A simplified mechanism for anisotropic constriction in Drosophila mesoderm. Development 2018; 145:dev.167387. [PMID: 30401702 DOI: 10.1242/dev.167387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2018] [Accepted: 10/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Understanding how forces and material properties give rise to tissue shapes is a fundamental issue in developmental biology. Although Drosophila gastrulation is a well-used system for investigating tissue morphogenesis, a consensus mechanical model that explains all the key features of this process does not exist. One key feature of Drosophila gastrulation is its anisotropy: the mesoderm constricts much more along one axis than along the other. Previous explanations have involved graded stress, anisotropic stresses or material properties, or mechanosensitive feedback. Here, we show that these mechanisms are not required to explain the anisotropy of constriction. Instead, constriction can be anisotropic if only two conditions are met: the tissue is elastic, as was demonstrated in our recent study; and the contractile domain is asymmetric. This conclusion is general and does not depend on the values of model parameters. Our model can explain results from classical tissue-grafting experiments and from more-recent laser ablation studies. Furthermore, our model may provide alternative explanations for experiments in other developmental systems, including C. elegans and zebrafish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konstantin Doubrovinski
- Green Center for Systems Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390-9050
| | - Joel Tchoufag
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Kranthi Mandadapu
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.,Chemical Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
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38
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Wirshing ACE, Cram EJ. Spectrin regulates cell contractility through production and maintenance of actin bundles in the Caenorhabditis elegans spermatheca. Mol Biol Cell 2018; 29:2433-2449. [PMID: 30091661 PMCID: PMC6233056 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e18-06-0347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Disruption to the contractility of cells, including smooth muscle cells of the cardiovascular system and myoepithelial cells of the glandular epithelium, contributes to the pathophysiology of contractile tissue diseases, including asthma, hypertension, and primary Sjögren's syndrome. Cell contractility is determined by myosin activity and actomyosin network organization and is mediated by hundreds of protein-protein interactions, many directly involving actin. Here we use a candidate RNA interference screen of more than 100 Caenorhabditis elegans genes with predicted actin-binding and regulatory domains to identify genes that contribute to the contractility of the somatic gonad. We identify the spectrin cytoskeleton composed of SPC-1/α-spectrin, UNC-70/β-spectrin, and SMA-1/β heavy-spectrin as required for contractility and actin organization in the myoepithelial cells of the C. elegans spermatheca. We use imaging of fixed and live animals as well as tissue- and developmental-stage-specific disruption of the spectrin cytoskeleton to show that spectrin regulates the production of prominent central actin bundles and is required for maintenance of central actin bundles throughout successive rounds of stretch and contraction. We conclude that the spectrin cytoskeleton contributes to spermathecal contractility by promoting maintenance of the robust actomyosin bundles that drive contraction.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Erin J Cram
- Department of Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115
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39
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Markwardt ML, Snell NE, Guo M, Wu Y, Christensen R, Liu H, Shroff H, Rizzo MA. A Genetically Encoded Biosensor Strategy for Quantifying Non-muscle Myosin II Phosphorylation Dynamics in Living Cells and Organisms. Cell Rep 2018; 24:1060-1070.e4. [PMID: 30044973 PMCID: PMC6117825 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2018.06.088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2017] [Revised: 05/25/2018] [Accepted: 06/20/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Complex cell behaviors require dynamic control over non-muscle myosin II (NMMII) regulatory light chain (RLC) phosphorylation. Here, we report that RLC phosphorylation can be tracked in living cells and organisms using a homotransfer fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) approach. Fluorescent protein-tagged RLCs exhibit FRET in the dephosphorylated conformation, permitting identification and quantification of RLC phosphorylation in living cells. This approach is versatile and can accommodate several different fluorescent protein colors, thus enabling multiplexed imaging with complementary biosensors. In fibroblasts, dynamic myosin phosphorylation was observed at the leading edge of migrating cells and retracting structures where it persistently colocalized with activated myosin light chain kinase. Changes in myosin phosphorylation during C. elegans embryonic development were tracked using polarization inverted selective-plane illumination microscopy (piSPIM), revealing a shift in phosphorylated myosin localization to a longitudinal orientation following the onset of twitching. Quantitative analyses further suggested that RLC phosphorylation dynamics occur independently from changes in protein expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele L Markwardt
- Department of Physiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Nicole E Snell
- Department of Physiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Min Guo
- Section on High Resolution Optical Imaging, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, US NIH, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
| | - Yicong Wu
- Section on High Resolution Optical Imaging, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, US NIH, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
| | - Ryan Christensen
- Section on High Resolution Optical Imaging, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, US NIH, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
| | - Huafeng Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Modern Optical Instrumentation, College of Optical Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
| | - Hari Shroff
- Section on High Resolution Optical Imaging, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, US NIH, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
| | - M A Rizzo
- Department of Physiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
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40
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Tissue-Specific Functions of fem-2/PP2c Phosphatase and fhod-1/formin During Caenorhabditis elegans Embryonic Morphogenesis. G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS 2018; 8:2277-2290. [PMID: 29720391 PMCID: PMC6027879 DOI: 10.1534/g3.118.200274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
The cytoskeleton is the basic machinery that drives many morphogenetic events. Elongation of the C. elegans embryo from a spheroid into a long, thin larva initially results from actomyosin contractility, mainly in the lateral epidermal seam cells, while the corresponding dorsal and ventral epidermal cells play a more passive role. This is followed by a later elongation phase involving muscle contraction. Early elongation is mediated by parallel genetic pathways involving LET-502/Rho kinase and MEL-11/MYPT myosin phosphatase in one pathway and FEM-2/PP2c phosphatase and PAK-1/p21 activated kinase in another. While the LET-502/MEL-11 pathway appears to act primarily in the lateral epidermis, here we show that FEM-2 can mediate early elongation when expressed in the dorsal and ventral epidermis. We also investigated the early elongation function of FHOD-1, a member of the formin family of actin nucleators and bundlers. Previous work showed that FHOD-1 acts in the LET-502/MEL-11 branch of the early elongation pathway as well as in muscle for sarcomere organization. Consistent with this, we found that lateral epidermal cell-specific expression of FHOD-1 is sufficient for elongation, and FHOD-1 effects on elongation appear to be independent of its role in muscle. Also, we found that fhod-1 encodes long and short isoforms that differ in the presence of a predicted coiled-coil domain. Based on tissue-specific expression constructions and an isoform-specific CRISPR allele, the two FHOD-1 isoforms show partially specialized epidermal or muscle function. Although fhod-1 shows only impenetrant elongation phenotypes, we were unable to detect redundancy with other C. elegans formin genes.
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Vuong-Brender TTK, Boutillon A, Rodriguez D, Lavilley V, Labouesse M. HMP-1/α-catenin promotes junctional mechanical integrity during morphogenesis. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0193279. [PMID: 29466456 PMCID: PMC5821396 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0193279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2017] [Accepted: 02/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Adherens junctions (AJs) are key structures regulating tissue integrity and maintaining adhesion between cells. During morphogenesis, junctional proteins cooperate closely with the actomyosin network to drive cell movement and shape changes. How the junctions integrate the mechanical forces in space and in time during an in vivo morphogenetic event is still largely unknown, due to a lack of quantitative data. To address this issue, we inserted a functional Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET)-based force biosensor within HMP-1/α-catenin of Caenorhabditis elegans. We find that the tension exerted on HMP-1 has a cell-specific distribution, is actomyosin-dependent, but is regulated differently from the tension on the actin cortex during embryonic elongation. By using time-lapse analysis of mutants and tissue-specific rescue experiments, we confirm the role of VAB-9/Claudin as an actin bundle anchor. Nevertheless, the tension exerted on HMP-1 did not increase in the absence of VAB-9/Claudin, suggesting that HMP-1 activity is not upregulated to compensate for loss of VAB-9. Our data indicate that HMP-1 does not modulate HMR-1/E-cadherin turnover, is required to recruit junctional actin but not stress fiber-like actin bundles. Altogether, our data suggest that HMP-1/α-catenin acts to promote the mechanical integrity of adherens junctions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thanh Thi Kim Vuong-Brender
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Université Paris 06, CNRS, Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement—Institut de Biologie Paris Seine (LBD—IBPS), Paris, France
- Development and Stem Cells Program, IGBMC, CNRS (UMR7104), INSERM (U964), Université de Strasbourg, 1 rue Laurent Fries, llkirch, France
| | - Arthur Boutillon
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Université Paris 06, CNRS, Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement—Institut de Biologie Paris Seine (LBD—IBPS), Paris, France
| | - David Rodriguez
- Development and Stem Cells Program, IGBMC, CNRS (UMR7104), INSERM (U964), Université de Strasbourg, 1 rue Laurent Fries, llkirch, France
| | - Vincent Lavilley
- Development and Stem Cells Program, IGBMC, CNRS (UMR7104), INSERM (U964), Université de Strasbourg, 1 rue Laurent Fries, llkirch, France
| | - Michel Labouesse
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Université Paris 06, CNRS, Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement—Institut de Biologie Paris Seine (LBD—IBPS), Paris, France
- Development and Stem Cells Program, IGBMC, CNRS (UMR7104), INSERM (U964), Université de Strasbourg, 1 rue Laurent Fries, llkirch, France
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Broders-Bondon F, Nguyen Ho-Bouldoires TH, Fernandez-Sanchez ME, Farge E. Mechanotransduction in tumor progression: The dark side of the force. J Cell Biol 2018; 217:1571-1587. [PMID: 29467174 PMCID: PMC5940296 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.201701039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 178] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2017] [Revised: 01/19/2018] [Accepted: 02/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Broders-Bondon et al. review the pathological mechanical properties of tumor tissues and how abnormal mechanical signals result in oncogenic biochemical signals during tumor progression. Cancer has been characterized as a genetic disease, associated with mutations that cause pathological alterations of the cell cycle, adhesion, or invasive motility. Recently, the importance of the anomalous mechanical properties of tumor tissues, which activate tumorigenic biochemical pathways, has become apparent. This mechanical induction in tumors appears to consist of the destabilization of adult tissue homeostasis as a result of the reactivation of embryonic developmental mechanosensitive pathways in response to pathological mechanical strains. These strains occur in many forms, for example, hypervascularization in late tumors leads to high static hydrodynamic pressure that can promote malignant progression through hypoxia or anomalous interstitial liquid and blood flow. The high stiffness of tumors directly induces the mechanical activation of biochemical pathways enhancing the cell cycle, epithelial–mesenchymal transition, and cell motility. Furthermore, increases in solid-stress pressure associated with cell hyperproliferation activate tumorigenic pathways in the healthy epithelial cells compressed by the neighboring tumor. The underlying molecular mechanisms of the translation of a mechanical signal into a tumor inducing biochemical signal are based on mechanically induced protein conformational changes that activate classical tumorigenic signaling pathways. Understanding these mechanisms will be important for the development of innovative treatments to target such mechanical anomalies in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florence Broders-Bondon
- Mechanics and Genetics of Embryonic and Tumor Development Group, Institut Curie, PSL Research University, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR168, Inserm, Sorbonne Universities, Paris, France
| | - Thanh Huong Nguyen Ho-Bouldoires
- Mechanics and Genetics of Embryonic and Tumor Development Group, Institut Curie, PSL Research University, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR168, Inserm, Sorbonne Universities, Paris, France
| | - Maria-Elena Fernandez-Sanchez
- Mechanics and Genetics of Embryonic and Tumor Development Group, Institut Curie, PSL Research University, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR168, Inserm, Sorbonne Universities, Paris, France
| | - Emmanuel Farge
- Mechanics and Genetics of Embryonic and Tumor Development Group, Institut Curie, PSL Research University, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR168, Inserm, Sorbonne Universities, Paris, France
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Abstract
D'Arcy Thompson was a proponent of applying mathematical and physical principles to biological systems, an approach that is becoming increasingly common in developmental biology. Indeed, the recent integration of quantitative experimental data, force measurements and mathematical modeling has changed our understanding of morphogenesis - the shaping of an organism during development. Emerging evidence suggests that the subcellular organization of contractile cytoskeletal networks plays a key role in force generation, while on the tissue level the spatial organization of forces determines the morphogenetic output. Inspired by D'Arcy Thompson's On Growth and Form, we review our current understanding of how biological forms are created and maintained by the generation and organization of contractile forces at the cell and tissue levels. We focus on recent advances in our understanding of how cells actively sculpt tissues and how forces are involved in specific morphogenetic processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie C Heer
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Adam C Martin
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
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Vuong-Brender TTK, Suman SK, Labouesse M. The apical ECM preserves embryonic integrity and distributes mechanical stress during morphogenesis. Development 2017; 144:4336-4349. [PMID: 28526752 PMCID: PMC5769628 DOI: 10.1242/dev.150383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2017] [Accepted: 05/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Epithelia are bound by both basal and apical extracellular matrices (ECM). Although the composition and function of the former have been intensively investigated, less is known about the latter. The embryonic sheath, the ECM apical to the Caenorhabditis elegans embryonic epidermis, has been suggested to promote elongation of the embryo. In an RNAi screen for the components of the sheath, we identified the zona pellucida domain proteins NOAH-1 and NOAH-2. We found that these proteins act in the same pathway, and in parallel to three other putative sheath proteins, the leucine-rich repeat proteins SYM-1, LET-4 and FBN-1/Fibrillin, to ensure embryonic integrity and promote elongation. Laser nano-ablation experiments to map the stress field show that NOAH-1 and NOAH-2, together with PAK-1/p21-activated kinase, maintain and relay the actomyosin-dependent stress generated within the lateral epidermis before muscles become active. Subsequently, loss-of-function experiments show that apical ECM proteins are essential for muscle anchoring and for relaying the mechanical input from muscle contractions, which are essential for elongation. Hence, the apical ECM contributes to morphogenesis by maintaining embryonic integrity and relaying mechanical stress. Summary: In C. elegans, embryonic apical extracellular matrix acts as a protective layer, a rigid anchor for muscle function and transmit actomyosin forces to promote embryonic elongation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thanh Thi Kim Vuong-Brender
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Université Paris 06, CNRS, Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement - Institut de Biologie Paris Seine (LBD - IBPS), Paris 75005, France .,Development and Stem Cells Program, IGBMC, CNRS (UMR7104), INSERM (U964), Université de Strasbourg, 1 rue Laurent Fries, BP10142, Illkirch 67400, France
| | - Shashi Kumar Suman
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Université Paris 06, CNRS, Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement - Institut de Biologie Paris Seine (LBD - IBPS), Paris 75005, France.,Development and Stem Cells Program, IGBMC, CNRS (UMR7104), INSERM (U964), Université de Strasbourg, 1 rue Laurent Fries, BP10142, Illkirch 67400, France
| | - Michel Labouesse
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Université Paris 06, CNRS, Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement - Institut de Biologie Paris Seine (LBD - IBPS), Paris 75005, France .,Development and Stem Cells Program, IGBMC, CNRS (UMR7104), INSERM (U964), Université de Strasbourg, 1 rue Laurent Fries, BP10142, Illkirch 67400, France
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