Substrate stress relaxation regulates monolayer fluidity and leader cell formation for collectively migrating epithelia.

ABSTRACT: Collective migration of epithelial tissues is a critical feature of developmental morphogenesis and tissue homeostasis. Coherent motion of cell collectives requires large-scale coordination of motion and force generation and is influenced by mechanical properties of the underlying substrate. While tissue viscoelasticity is a ubiquitous feature of biological tissues, its role in mediating collective cell migration is unclear. Here, we have investigated the impact of substrate stress relaxation on the migration of micropatterned epithelial monolayers. Epithelial monolayers exhibit faster collective migration on viscoelastic alginate substrates with slower relaxation timescales, which are more elastic, relative to substrates with faster stress relaxation, which exhibit more viscous loss. Fast

SUBMITTER: Charbonier F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12012536 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature