Differences in cortical contractile properties between healthy epithelial and cancerous mesenchymal breast cells. (18th October 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Warmt, Enrico; Grosser, Steffen; Blauth, Eliane; Xie, Xiaofan; Kubitschke, Hans; Stange, Roland; Sauer, Frank; Schnauß, Jörg; Tomm, Janina M; von Bergen, Martin; Käs, Josef A
• Is Part Of: New journal of physics. Volume 23:Number 10(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-10-18
• Subjects: biophysics -- tissue formation -- cell contractility -- multicellular spheroids -- blebbistatin -- actin cortex -- actin stress fibers; Physics -- Periodicals; Physics; Periodicals; 530.05
• DOI: 10.1088/1367-2630/ac254e
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1367-2630

Abstract

Abstract: Cell contractility is mainly imagined as a force dipole-like interaction based on actin stress fibers that pull on cellular adhesion sites. Here, we present a different type of contractility based on isotropic contractions within the actomyosin cortex. Measuring mechanosensitive cortical contractility of suspended cells among various cell lines allowed us to exclude effects caused by stress fibers. We found that epithelial cells display a higher cortical tension than mesenchymal cells, directly contrasting to stress fiber-mediated contractility. These two types of contractility can even be used to distinguish epithelial from mesenchymal cells. These findings from a single cell level correlate to the rearrangement effects of actomyosin cortices within cells assembled in multicellular aggregates. Epithelial cells form a collective contractile actin cortex surrounding multicellular aggregates and further generate a high surface tension reminiscent of tissue boundaries. Hence, we suggest this intercellular structure as to be crucial for epithelial tissue integrity. In contrast, mesenchymal cells do not form collective actomyosin cortices reducing multicellular cohesion and enabling cell escape from the aggregates.