Mechanochemical actuators of embryonic epithelial contractility
#MMPMID25246549
Kim Y
; Hazar M
; Vijayraghavan DS
; Song J
; Jackson TR
; Joshi SD
; Messner WC
; Davidson LA
; LeDuc PR
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
2014[Oct]; 111
(40
): 14366-71
PMID25246549
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Spatiotemporal regulation of cell contractility coordinates cell shape change to
construct tissue architecture and ultimately directs the morphology and function
of the organism. Here we show that contractility responses to spatially and
temporally controlled chemical stimuli depend much more strongly on intercellular
mechanical connections than on biochemical cues in both stimulated tissues and
adjacent cells. We investigate how the cell contractility is triggered within an
embryonic epithelial sheet by local ligand stimulation and coordinates a
long-range contraction response. Our custom microfluidic control system allows
spatiotemporally controlled stimulation with extracellular ATP, which results in
locally distinct contractility followed by mechanical strain pattern formation.
The stimulation-response circuit exposed here provides a better understanding of
how morphogenetic processes integrate responses to stimulation and how
intercellular responses are transmitted across multiple cells. These findings may
enable one to create a biological actuator that actively drives morphogenesis.
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