Mechanics of epithelial closure over non-adherent environments

Sri Ram Krishna Vedula (), Grégoire Peyret, Ibrahim Cheddadi, Tianchi Chen, Agustí Brugués, Hiroaki Hirata, Horacio Lopez-Menendez, Yusuke Toyama, Luís Neves de Almeida, Xavier Trepat, Chwee Teck Lim () and Benoit Ladoux ()
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Sri Ram Krishna Vedula: Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore
Grégoire Peyret: Institut Jacques Monod (IJM), CNRS UMR 7592 and Université Paris Diderot
Ibrahim Cheddadi: Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06 and CNRS UMR 7598, Laboratoire Jacques-Louis Lions
Tianchi Chen: Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore
Agustí Brugués: Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia
Hiroaki Hirata: Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore
Horacio Lopez-Menendez: Institut Jacques Monod (IJM), CNRS UMR 7592 and Université Paris Diderot
Yusuke Toyama: Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore
Luís Neves de Almeida: Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06 and CNRS UMR 7598, Laboratoire Jacques-Louis Lions
Xavier Trepat: Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia
Chwee Teck Lim: Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore
Benoit Ladoux: Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore

Nature Communications, 2015, vol. 6, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract The closure of gaps within epithelia is crucial to maintain its integrity during biological processes such as wound healing and gastrulation. Depending on the distribution of extracellular matrix, gap closure occurs through assembly of multicellular actin-based contractile cables or protrusive activity of border cells into the gap. Here we show that the supracellular actomyosin contractility of cells near the gap edge exerts sufficient tension on the surrounding tissue to promote closure of non-adherent gaps. Using traction force microscopy, we observe that cell-generated forces on the substrate at the gap edge first point away from the centre of the gap and then increase in the radial direction pointing into the gap as closure proceeds. Combining with numerical simulations, we show that the increase in force relies less on localized purse-string contractility and more on large-scale remodelling of the suspended tissue around the gap. Our results provide a framework for understanding the assembly and the mechanics of cellular contractility at the tissue level.

Date: 2015
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms7111

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