Mechanical convergence in mixed populations of mammalian epithelial cells

Tissues consist of cells with different molecular and/or mechanical properties. Measuring the forces and stresses in mixed-cell populations is essential for understanding the mechanisms by which tissue development, homeostasis, and disease emerge from the cooperation of distinct cell types. However,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The European physical journal. E, Soft matter and biological physics Soft matter and biological physics, 2024-03, Vol.47 (3), p.21-21, Article 21
Main Authors: Gauquelin, Estelle, Kuromiya, Keisuke, Namba, Toshinori, Ikawa, Keisuke, Fujita, Yasuyuki, Ishihara, Shuji, Sugimura, Kaoru
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Biological and Medical Physics
Biomechanical Phenomena
Biophysics
Complex Fluids and Microfluidics
Complex Systems
Convergence
Epithelial Cells
Epithelium
Homeostasis
Mammals
Mechanical measurement
Mechanical properties
Mechanics
Mechanics (physics)
Monolayers
Nanotechnology
Physics
Physics and Astronomy
Polymer Sciences
Populations
Regular - Living Systems
Regular Article - Living Systems
Soft and Granular Matter
Stress, Mechanical
Surfaces and Interfaces
Thin Films
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Summary:Tissues consist of cells with different molecular and/or mechanical properties. Measuring the forces and stresses in mixed-cell populations is essential for understanding the mechanisms by which tissue development, homeostasis, and disease emerge from the cooperation of distinct cell types. However, many previous studies have primarily focused their mechanical measurements on dissociated cells or aggregates of a single-cell type, leaving the mechanics of mixed-cell populations largely unexplored. In the present study, we aimed to elucidate the influence of interactions between different cell types on cell mechanics by conducting in situ mechanical measurements on a monolayer of mammalian epithelial cells. Our findings revealed that while individual cell types displayed varying magnitudes of traction and intercellular stress before mixing, these mechanical values shifted in the mixed monolayer, becoming nearly indistinguishable between the cell types. Moreover, by analyzing a mixed-phase model of active tissues, we identified physical conditions under which such mechanical convergence is induced. Overall, the present study underscores the importance of in situ mechanical measurements in mixed-cell populations to deepen our understanding of the mechanics of multicellular systems. Graphical abstract
ISSN:1292-8941
1292-895X
DOI:10.1140/epje/s10189-024-00415-w