Mechanosensitive Junction Remodeling Promotes Robust Epithelial Morphogenesis.

ABSTRACT: Morphogenesis of epithelial tissues requires tight spatiotemporal coordination of cell shape changes. In vivo, many tissue-scale shape changes are driven by pulsatile contractions of intercellular junctions, which are rectified to produce irreversible deformations. The functional role of this pulsatory ratchet and its mechanistic basis remain unknown. Here we combine theory and biophysical experiments to show that mechanosensitive tension remodeling of epithelial cell junctions promotes robust epithelial shape changes via ratcheting. Using optogenetic control of actomyosin contractility, we find that epithelial junctions show elastic behavior under low contractile stress, returning to their original lengths after contraction, but undergo irreversible deformation under higher magnitudes of

SUBMITTER: Staddon MF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6838884 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature