Cytoskeletal Regulation of Three-dimensional Epithelial Cell Shape

Abstract

Three-dimensional force distribution within the actin cytoskeleton of epithelial tissue regulates cell shape. While two-dimensional cell shape has been well characterized and heavily studied, three-dimensional cell shape parameters such as cell height and apical curvature have been largely overlooked despite their critical role in large scale epithelial processes such as invagination. By perturbing the activity of the actomyosin cytoskeleton in MDCK cells, we see that epithelial height dramatically changes. In this work, we examine how the inhibition of cytoskeleton proteins such as RhoA, myosin II, and Arp 2/3 affects the ability of epithelial tissue to regulate height. In addition, we observe that the tight junction protein ZO-1 is required for the regulation of a uniform apical curvature in epithelial cells. Using this knowledge, we hope to better characterize the distribution of three-dimensional forces in epithelial monolayers.