Active superelasticity in three-dimensional epithelia of controlled shape

Ernest Latorre, Sohan Kale, Laura Casares, Manuel Gómez-González, Marina Uroz, Léo Valon, Roshna V. Nair, Elena Garreta, Nuria Montserrat, Aránzazu Campo, Benoit Ladoux, Marino Arroyo () and Xavier Trepat ()
Additional contact information
Ernest Latorre: The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology (BIST)
Sohan Kale: LaCàN, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya-BarcelonaTech
Laura Casares: The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology (BIST)
Manuel Gómez-González: The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology (BIST)
Marina Uroz: The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology (BIST)
Léo Valon: The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology (BIST)
Roshna V. Nair: INM-Leibniz Institut für Neue Materialien
Elena Garreta: The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology (BIST)
Nuria Montserrat: The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology (BIST)
Aránzazu Campo: INM-Leibniz Institut für Neue Materialien
Benoit Ladoux: CNRS UMR 7592, Institut Jacques Monod (IJM), Université Paris Diderot
Marino Arroyo: The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology (BIST)
Xavier Trepat: The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology (BIST)

Nature, 2018, vol. 563, issue 7730, 203-208

Abstract: Abstract Fundamental biological processes are carried out by curved epithelial sheets that enclose a pressurized lumen. How these sheets develop and withstand three-dimensional deformations has remained unclear. Here we combine measurements of epithelial tension and shape with theoretical modelling to show that epithelial sheets are active superelastic materials. We produce arrays of epithelial domes with controlled geometry. Quantification of luminal pressure and epithelial tension reveals a tensional plateau over several-fold areal strains. These extreme strains in the tissue are accommodated by highly heterogeneous strains at a cellular level, in seeming contradiction to the measured tensional uniformity. This phenomenon is reminiscent of superelasticity, a behaviour that is generally attributed to microscopic material instabilities in metal alloys. We show that in epithelial cells this instability is triggered by a stretch-induced dilution of the actin cortex, and is rescued by the intermediate filament network. Our study reveals a type of mechanical behaviour—which we term active superelasticity—that enables epithelial sheets to sustain extreme stretching under constant tension.

Keywords: Superelasticity; Dome Epithelium; Epithelial Tension; Tension Plateau; Actin Cortex (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0671-4

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