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There is now a CONTENT FREEZE for Mercury while we switch to a new platform. It began on Friday, March 10 at 6pm and will end on Wednesday, March 15 at noon. No new content can be created during this time, but all material in the system as of the beginning of the freeze will be migrated to the new platform, including users and groups. Functionally the new site is identical to the old one. webteam@gatech.edu
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"Collective Mechanics of Epithelial Cells"
Aaron F. Mertz, PhD
National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Biology
Rockefeller University
Individual cells interact mechanically to regulate myriad biological processes. Mechanical cooperation of cells is evident in dynamic processes such as muscle contraction and flow-induced alignment of vascular cells. Cells’ mechanical interactions also influence tissues’ static material properties, including elastic modulus, surface tension, and fracture toughness. Little is known about how these tissue-scale mechanical phenomena emerge from interactions at molecular and cellular levels. Employing skin cells and skin tissue, we utilize tools of cell biology, mechanical engineering, and theoretical physics to delineate how a tissue cannot be understood simply as an assembly of single cells. Specifically, we show how multicellular colonies collectively apply force to their surroundings, exhibit a property reminiscent of surface tension, and de-mix according to differential intercellular adhesion. Finally, we explore cell proliferation and morphogenesis in developing epidermis in order to understand how a stratified epithelium is built mechanically in vivo. Our findings have implications for mechanical regulation of epithelial cells during development, homeostasis, and disease.
