Toward Measuring the Mechanical Stresses Exerted by Branching Embryonic Airway Epithelial Explants in 3D Matrices of Matrigel.

ABSTRACT: Numerous organs in the bodies of animals, including the lung, kidney, and mammary gland, contain ramified networks of epithelial tubes. These structures arise during development via a process known as branching morphogenesis. Previous studies have shown that mechanical forces directly impact this process, but the patterns of mechanical stress exerted by branching embryonic epithelia are not well understood. This is, in part, owing to a lack of experimental tools. Traditional traction force microscopy assays rely on the use of compliant hydrogels with well-defined mechanical properties. Isolated embryonic epithelial explants, however, have only been shown to branch in three-dimensional matrices of reconstituted basement membrane protein, or Matrigel, a biomaterial with poorly characterized

SUBMITTER: Patil LS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9590229 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature