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Formation of adherens junctions leads to the emergence of a tissue-level tension in epithelial monolayers.

ABSTRACT: Adherens junctions and desmosomes integrate the cytoskeletons of adjacent cells into a mechanical syncitium. In doing so, intercellular junctions endow tissues with the strength needed to withstand the mechanical stresses encountered in normal physiology and to coordinate tension during morphogenesis. Though much is known about the biological mechanisms underlying junction formation, little is known about how tissue-scale mechanical properties are established. Here, we use deep atomic force microscopy (AFM) indentation to measure the apparent stiffness of epithelial monolayers reforming from dissociated cells and examine which cellular processes give rise to tissue-scale mechanics. We show that the formation of intercellular junctions coincided with an increase in the apparent stiffness of reforming monolayers that reflected the generation of a tissue-level tension. Tension rapidly increased, reaching a maximum after 150?min, before settling to a lower level over the next 3?h as monolayers established homeostasis. The emergence of tissue tension correlated with the formation of adherens junctions but not desmosomes. As a consequence, inhibition of any of the molecular mechanisms participating in adherens junction initiation, remodelling and maturation significantly impeded the emergence of tissue-level tension in monolayers.

SUBMITTER: Harris AR

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4043320 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Formation of adherens junctions leads to the emergence of a tissue-level tension in epithelial monolayers.

Harris Andrew R AR Daeden Alicia A Charras Guillaume T GT

Journal of cell science 20140321 Pt 11

Adherens junctions and desmosomes integrate the cytoskeletons of adjacent cells into a mechanical syncitium. In doing so, intercellular junctions endow tissues with the strength needed to withstand the mechanical stresses encountered in normal physiology and to coordinate tension during morphogenesis. Though much is known about the biological mechanisms underlying junction formation, little is known about how tissue-scale mechanical properties are established. Here, we use deep atomic force micr ...[more]

PMID: 24659804

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Project description:The extracellular matrix (ECM) plays crucial roles in tissue homeostasis. Abnormalities in ECM composition are associated with pathological conditions, such as fibrosis and cancer. These ECM alterations are sensed by the epithelium and can influence its behavior through crosstalk with other mechanosensitive complexes, including the adherens junctions (AJs). We have previously shown that the AJs, through their component PLEKHA7, recruit the RNAi machinery to regulate miRNA levels and function. We have particularly shown that the junctional localization of RNAi components is critical for their function. Here, we investigated whether different ECM substrates can influence the junctional localization of RNAi complexes. To do this, we plated colon epithelial Caco2 cells on four key ECM substrates found in the colon under normal or pathogenic conditions, namely laminin, fibronectin, collagen I, and collagen IV, and we examined the subcellular distribution of PLEKHA7, and of the key RNAi components AGO2 and DROSHA. Fibronectin and collagen I negatively impacted the junctional localization of PLEKHA7, AGO2, and DROSHA when compared to laminin. Furthermore, fibronectin, collagen I, and collagen IV disrupted interactions of AGO2 and DROSHA with their essential partners GW182 and DGCR8, respectively, both at AJs and throughout the cell. Combinations of all substrates with fibronectin also negatively impacted junctional localization of PLEKHA7 and AGO2. Additionally, collagen I triggered accumulation of DROSHA at tri-cellular junctions, while both collagen I and collagen IV resulted in DROSHA accumulation at basal areas of cell-cell contact. Altogether, fibronectin and collagens I and IV, which are elevated in the stroma of fibrotic and cancerous tissues, altered localization patterns and disrupted complex formation of PLEKHA7 and RNAi components. Combined with our prior studies showing that apical junctional localization of the PLEKHA7-RNAi complex is critical for regulating tumor-suppressing miRNAs, this work points to a yet unstudied mechanism that could contribute to epithelial cell transformation.

Dataset Information

Formation of adherens junctions leads to the emergence of a tissue-level tension in epithelial monolayers.

Publications

Formation of adherens junctions leads to the emergence of a tissue-level tension in epithelial monolayers.

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