Stretching cell sheets promotes proliferation

Mechanical strain regulates the development, organization, and function of multicellular tissues. But how? Cadherins mechanically couple neighboring epithelial cells through extracellular interactions and sequester the transcription factors β-catenin and Yap1. To find out more,  the lab of Prof. James Nelson, with lead author Blair Benham Pyle,  stretched epithelial cell sheets. This mechanical strain induced rapid cell cycle reentry, DNA synthesis by sequential nuclear accumulation, and transcriptional activation of Yap1 and β-catenin. Thus, cell-cell junctions are mechanically responsive structural scaffolds providing signaling centers that coordinate transcriptional responses to externally applied force.

The study was published in Science, May 29, 2015.

Last modified Tue, 2 Jun, 2015 at 19:19