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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 3: Cell Mechanics 1
BP 3.1: Prize Talk
Monday, September 5, 2022, 09:30–10:00, H15
Basal tension in the wing disc epithelium - what’s collagen got to do with it — Karla Yanin Guerra Santiallan1,3, Christian Dahmann2, and •Elisabeth Fischer-Friedrich1,3,4, 5 — 1Cluster of Excellence Physics of Life, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany — 2Institute of Genetics, Technische Universität Dresdenn, Dresden, Germany — 3Biotechnology Center, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany — 4Faculty of Physics, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany — 5Laureate of the Hertha-Sponer-Prize 2022
Healthy tissue morphogenesis is an important prerequisite for organ function. During development, epithelial folding is a major element of tissue morphogenesis. It has been shown that epithelial folding can be driven through a reduction of basal cell tension. However, a comprehensive analysis of the regulating factors of basal tension is still lacking. In this study, we use indentation with the cantilever of an atomic force microscope to estimate mechanical tension at the basal cell boundary in the wing disc epithelium of the 3rd instar larva of Drosophila melanogaster. We find that basal tension is not only affected by contractility of the actin cytoskeleton but is strongly influenced by the presence of the basement membrane as well as osmotic pressure. Our data suggest that elastic stresses in the basement membrane induced by basement membrane stretch, e.g. via osmotic swelling, may be a key factor in the adjustment of basal tension.