Basolateral mechanics prevents rigidity transition in epithelial monolayers

Abstract

The mechanics of epithelial tissues, which is governed by forces generated in various cell domains, is often investigated using two-dimensional models that account for the apically-positioned actomyosin structures but neglect basolateral mechanics. We employ a more detailed three-dimensional model to study how lateral surface tensions affect the structure and rigidity of such tissues. We find that cells are apicobasally asymmetric, with one side appearing more ordered than the other depending on cell target perimeter. In contrast to the 2D model, which predicts a rigidity transition at large target perimeters, tissues in the 3D model remain solid-like across all parameter space.

References in corpus (15)

• A density-independent glass transition in biological tissues
• Motility-driven glass and jamming transitions in biological tissues
• Physical Models of Collective Cell Migration
• Anisotropy links cell shapes to tissue flow during convergent extension
• Emergence of active nematic behaviour in monolayers of isotropic cells
• A geometrically controlled rigidity transition in a model for confluent 3D tissues
• A minimal-length approach unifies rigidity in under-constrained materials
• The Suprafroth (Superconducting Froth)
• Fluidization of epithelial sheets by active cell rearrangements
• Collective Cell Mechanics of Small-Organoid Morphologies
• Linear Viscoelastic Properties of the Vertex Model for Epithelial Tissues
• A Mechanical Instability in Planar Epithelial Monolayers Leads to Cell Extrusion
• Bubble statistics and coarsening dynamics for quasi-two dimensional foams with increasing liquid content
• Shape-tension coupling produces nematic order in an epithelium vertex model
• Graph topological transformations in space-filling cell aggregates