Mechanics of epithelial monolayers

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Contributors

A. Harris, T. Wyatt, N. Khalilgharibi, J. Fouchard, P. Recho, A. Bonfanti, B. Baum, A. Kabla, G. Charras

Summary

In collaboration with the group of Guillaume Charras (LCN-UCL, London), we study freely suspended epithelial monolayers. A custom setup enables the examination of their mechanical behaviour at multi-, uni-, and subcellular scales as well as measurements of monolayer’s mechanical response. Monolayers could withstand more than a doubling in length before failing through rupture of intercellular junctions. We extensively studied this system, in terms of the role of the individual biological components, and in terms of the timescales involved in the response.

References:

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Characterizing the mechanics of cultured cell monolayers,
PNAS 109:16449-16454 (2012),
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A.R. Harris, J. Bellis, N. Khalilgharibi, T. Wyatt, B. Baum, A.J. Kabla and G.T. Charras,
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T.P.J. Wyatt, A.R. Harris, M. Lam, Q. Cheng, J. Bellis, A. Dimitracopoulos, A.J. Kabla, G.T. Charras and B. Baum,
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T.P.J. Wyatt, J. Fouchard, A. Lisica, N. Khalilgharibi, B. Baum, P. Recho, A.J. Kabla, G.T. Charras,
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A. Bonfanti, J. Fouchard, N. Khalilgharibi, G. Charras and A. Kabla,
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J. Fouchard, T.P.J. Wyatt, A. Proag, A. Lisica, N. Khalilgharibi, P. Recho, M. Suzanne, A. Kabla, G. Charras,
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PNAS 117(17):9377-9383 (2020),
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P. Recho, J. Fouchard, T. Wyatt, N. Khalilgharibi, G. Charras and A. Kabla,
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A. Bonfanti, J. Duque, A. Kabla and G. Charras,
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A. Lisica, J. Fouchard, M. Kelkar, T. Wyatt, J. Duque, A.-B. Ndiaye, A. Bonfanti, B. Baum, A.J. Kabla, G.T. Charras,
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A. Kabla, B. Ladoux and J.-M. Di Meglio,
Editorial - Tissue Mechanics,
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J. Duque, A. Bonfanti, J. Fouchard, E. Ferber, A. Harris, A.J. Kabla, G.T. Charras,
Fracture in Living Cell Monolayers,
Preprint (2023),
doi:10.1101/2023.01.05.522736