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- Title
Characterizing mechanical properties of epithelial monolayers based on indentation.
- Authors
Li, Jing-Yi; Chen, Peng-Cheng; Lin, Shao-Zhen; Li, Bo
- Abstract
Epithelial tissues have a variety of functions, such as protection, secretion, and absorption. Appropriate mechanical properties of epithelia are essential to achieve these functions. Based on the indentation technology, we combine experiments, theory, and simulations to characterize the mechanical properties of epithelial monolayers. We measure the Young's modulus of in vitro cultured epithelial cell monolayers, including MCF-10A human breast epithelial (MCF-10A) cell monolayers and Madin–Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) cell monolayers. We find that the elastic moduli of the two kinds of cell monolayers (~ 1 MPa) have the orders of magnitude larger than those of the constituent cells (~ 1 kPa) in an isolated state, suggesting a critical role of intercellular interactions via cell–cell junctions in contributing to tissue stiffness. We also find that the elastic modulus of epithelial cell monolayers increases non-linearly with the cell density: MCF-10A cell monolayers exhibit a sharp increase in modulus beyond a critical cell density of ~ 3000 mm−2, indicating a fluid-to-solid transition as the cell density increases. Our results reveal the significant contribution of cell density and intercellular interactions to the mechanical properties of epithelial tissues, and could provide mechanical insights into the tissue stiffness changes involved in embryo or tumor development.
- Subjects
MONOMOLECULAR films; EPITHELIAL cell culture; TISSUE mechanics; YOUNG'S modulus; EPITHELIUM; BREAST
- Publication
European Physical Journal: Special Topics, 2023, Vol 232, Issue 16, p2727
- ISSN
1951-6355
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1140/epjs/s11734-023-00931-4