Measurement of junctional tension in epithelial cells at the onset of primitive streak formation in the chick embryo via non-destructive optical manipulation

Valentina Ferro, Manli Chuai, David McGloin, Cornelis Weijer

Research output: Working paperPreprint

Abstract

Oriented cell intercalations and cell shape changes are key determinants of large-scale epithelial cell sheet deformations occurring during gastrulation in many organisms. In several cases directional intercalation and cell shape changes have been shown to be associated with a planar cell polarity in the organisation of the actinmyosin cytoskeleton of epithelial cells. This polarised cytoskeletal organisation has been postulated to reflect the directional tension necessary to drive and orient directional cell intercalations. We have now further characterised and applied a recently introduced non-destructive optical manipulation technique to measure the tension in individual cell junctions in the epiblast of chick embryos in the early stages of primitive streak formation. We have measured junctional tension as a function of position and orientation. Junctional tension of mesendoderm cells, the tissue that drives the formation of the streak, is higher than tension of junctions of cells in other parts of the epiblast. Furthermore, in the mesendoderm junctional tension is higher in the direction of intercalation. The data are fitted best with a Maxwell model and we find that both junctional tension and relaxation time are dependent on myosin activity.
Original languageEnglish
PublisherbioRxiv
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 19 Dec 2018

Bibliographical note

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement no 608133 and grant BB/N009789/1 from the BBSRC. Funding was also received from the Scottish Universities Physics Alliance (SUPA).

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