Monday  |  Salon 8  |  05:10 PM–05:30 PM

#16157, The Relationship between Cell-cell Cohesion, Collective Migration Patterns, and Contact Mechanics in Epithelial Monolayers

Epithelial surfaces in the body are persistently subject to contact forces. Likewise, collective cell motion is constantly occurring in some epithelia where cell turnover rate is high. However, the relationship between epithelial contact mechanics and patterns of cell migration within epithelia has not been explored. In this presentation we will describe our investigations of collective spatiotemporal patterns of motion in epithelial monolayers, focusing on how different classes of cell-cell junctions control transitions between different regimes of collective motion. We will also show how rate-dependent indentation measurements on these monolayers are sensitive to these patterns of motion. We will discuss how these different timescales of collective cell behavior may define multiple regimes of monolayer mechanical response to applied pressure and shear stress. Additionally, we will discuss how the relationship between contact mechanics and spatiotemporal migration patterns furthers our understanding of epithelial tribology.

Steven Chisolm   University of Florida
Thomas Angelini   University of Florida
Kyle Schulze   Auburn University
Emily Guo   Auburn University