Thickness of epithelia on wavy substrates: measurements and continuous models

We measured the thickness of MDCK epithelia grown on substrates with a sinusoidal profile. We show that while at long wavelength the profile of the epithelium follows that of the substrate, at short wavelengths cells are thicker in valleys than on ridges. This is reminiscent of the so-called «healin...

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Published in:The European physical journal. E, Soft matter and biological physics Soft matter and biological physics, 2022-06, Vol.45 (6), p.53-53, Article 53
Main Authors: Harmand, Nicolas, Dervaux, Julien, Poulard, Christophe, Hénon, Sylvie
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological and Medical Physics
Biological Physics
Biophysics
Complex Fluids and Microfluidics
Complex Systems
Condensed matter physics
Continuum mechanics
Epithelium
Modelling
Modulus of elasticity
Nanotechnology
Physics
Physics and Astronomy
Polymer Sciences
Regular Article - Living Systems
Soft and Granular Matter
Substrates
Surface tension
Surfaces and Interfaces
Thickness measurement
Thin Films
Tissue Mechanics
Wetting
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Summary:We measured the thickness of MDCK epithelia grown on substrates with a sinusoidal profile. We show that while at long wavelength the profile of the epithelium follows that of the substrate, at short wavelengths cells are thicker in valleys than on ridges. This is reminiscent of the so-called «healing length in the case of a thin liquid film wetting a rough solid substrate. We explore the ability of continuum mechanics models to account for these observations. Modeling the epithelium as a thin liquid film, with surface tension, does not fully account for the measurements. Neither does modeling the epithelium as a thin incompressible elastic film. On the contrary, the addition of an apical active stress gives satisfactory agreement with measurements, with one fitting parameter, the ratio between the active stress and the elastic modulus. Graphic Abstract
ISSN:1292-8941
1292-895X
DOI:10.1140/epje/s10189-022-00206-1