Dow Liam P, Parmar Toshi, Marchetti M Cristina, Pruitt Beth L
Department of Physics, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA.
Biophys Rev (Melville). 2023 May 11;4(2):021303. doi: 10.1063/5.0142537. eCollection 2023 Jun.
The integrity of epithelia is maintained within dynamic mechanical environments during tissue development and homeostasis. Understanding how epithelial cells mechanosignal and respond collectively or individually is critical to providing insight into developmental and (patho)physiological processes. Yet, inferring or mimicking mechanical forces and downstream mechanical signaling as they occur in epithelia presents unique challenges. A variety of approaches have been used to dissect the role of mechanics in regulating epithelia organization. Here, we review approaches and results from research into how epithelial cells communicate through mechanical cues to maintain tissue organization and integrity. We summarize the unique advantages and disadvantages of various reduced-order model systems to guide researchers in choosing appropriate experimental systems. These model systems include 3D, 2D, and 1D micromanipulation methods, single cell studies, and noninvasive force inference and measurement techniques. We also highlight a number of biophysical models that are informed by and observations. Together, a combination of theoretical and experimental models will aid future experiment designs and provide predictive insight into mechanically driven behaviors of epithelial dynamics.
在组织发育和内环境稳态过程中，上皮组织的完整性在动态力学环境中得以维持。了解上皮细胞如何进行机械信号传导以及集体或个体做出反应，对于深入了解发育和（病理）生理过程至关重要。然而，推断或模拟上皮组织中发生的机械力和下游机械信号传导存在独特的挑战。人们已经使用了多种方法来剖析力学在调节上皮组织组织中的作用。在此，我们回顾了关于上皮细胞如何通过机械信号进行通信以维持组织组织和完整性的研究方法和结果。我们总结了各种降阶模型系统的独特优缺点，以指导研究人员选择合适的实验系统。这些模型系统包括三维、二维和一维微操纵方法、单细胞研究以及非侵入性力推断和测量技术。我们还强调了一些基于观察结果的生物物理模型。总之，理论模型和实验模型的结合将有助于未来的实验设计，并为上皮动力学的机械驱动行为提供预测性见解。
