Investigating the nature of active forces in tissues reveals how contractile cells can form extensile monolayers

Balasubramaniam L, Doostmohammadi A, Saw TB, Narayana GHNS, Mueller R, Dang T, Thomas M, Gupta S, Sonam S, Yap AS, Toyama Y, Mège RM, Yeomans JM, Ladoux B (2021)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2021

Journal

Nature Materials Nature Publishing Group

Book Volume: 20

Pages Range: 1156-1166

Journal Issue: 8

DOI: 10.1038/s41563-021-00919-2

Abstract

Actomyosin machinery endows cells with contractility at a single-cell level. However, within a monolayer, cells can be contractile or extensile based on the direction of pushing or pulling forces exerted by their neighbours or on the substrate. It has been shown that a monolayer of fibroblasts behaves as a contractile system while epithelial or neural progentior monolayers behave as an extensile system. Through a combination of cell culture experiments and in silico modelling, we reveal the mechanism behind this switch in extensile to contractile as the weakening of intercellular contacts. This switch promotes the build-up of tension at the cell–substrate interface through an increase in actin stress fibres and traction forces. This is accompanied by mechanotransductive changes in vinculin and YAP activation. We further show that contractile and extensile differences in cell activity sort cells in mixtures, uncovering a generic mechanism for pattern formation during cell competition, and morphogenesis.

Authors with CRIS profile

Benoit Ladoux

Involved external institutions

Université Paris-Sud FR France (FR) Niels Bohr Institute / Niels Bohr Institutet DK Denmark (DK) National University of Singapore (NUS) SG Singapore (SG) University of Oxford GB United Kingdom (GB) University of Queensland AU Australia (AU)

How to cite

APA:

Balasubramaniam, L., Doostmohammadi, A., Saw, T.B., Narayana, G.H.N.S., Mueller, R., Dang, T.,... Ladoux, B. (2021). Investigating the nature of active forces in tissues reveals how contractile cells can form extensile monolayers. Nature Materials, 20(8), 1156-1166. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-021-00919-2

MLA:

Balasubramaniam, Lakshmi, et al. "Investigating the nature of active forces in tissues reveals how contractile cells can form extensile monolayers." Nature Materials 20.8 (2021): 1156-1166.

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