Cell contractility is mainly imagined as a force dipole-like interaction based on actin stress fibers
that pull on cellular adhesion sites. Here, we present a different type of contractility based on
isotropic contractions within the actomyosin cortex. Measuring mechanosensitive cortical
contractility of suspended cells among various cell lines allowed us to exclude effects caused by
stress fibers. We found that epithelial cells display a higher cortical tension than mesenchymal cells,
directly contrasting to stress fiber-mediated contractility. These two types of contractility can even
be used to distinguish epithelial from mesenchymal cells. These findings from a single cell level
correlate to the rearrangement effects of actomyosin cortices within cells assembled in
multicellular aggregates. Epithelial cells form a collective contractile actin cortex surrounding
multicellular aggregates and further generate a high surface tension reminiscent of tissue
boundaries. Hence, we suggest this intercellular structure as to be crucial for epithelial tissue
integrity. In contrast, mesenchymal cells do not form collective actomyosin cortices reducing
multicellular cohesion and enabling cell escape from the aggregates.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:DRESDEN/oai:qucosa:de:qucosa:85065 |
| Date | 02 May 2023 |
| Creators | Warmt, Enrico, Grosser, Steffen, Blauth, Eliane, Xie, Xiaofan, Kubitschke, Hans, Stange, Roland, Sauer, Frank, Schnauß, Jörg, Tomm, Janina M., von Bergen, Martin, Käs, Josef A. |
| Publisher | IOP Publishing |
| Source Sets | Hochschulschriftenserver (HSSS) der SLUB Dresden |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion, doc-type:article, info:eu-repo/semantics/article, doc-type:Text |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
| Relation | 1367-2630, 103020 |
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