Impact of multiple scale structural mechanisms on epithelium movement

Abstract

Simple epithelial tissue is formed by individual cells connecting together to form a monolayer sheet. This sheet generates the complex structures of organs by undergoing both large and small scale morphogenic events. Columnar epithelial cells have a height greater than their width and are polarised with a ring of circumferential contractile fibres localised to their apical cell-cell junctions. There has been considerable investigation into the movement of this apical network, especially using lasers to sever individual apical cell edges. From these apical investigations, a variety of mechanical mechanisms have been suggested to control epithelium movement. However, these mechanisms are con..