Cell-cell junctions respond to mechanical forces by changing their organization and function. To gain insight into the mechanochemical basis underlying junction mechanosensitivity, we analyzed tight junction (TJ) formation between the enveloping cell layer (EVL) and the yolk syncytial layer (YSL) in the gastrulating zebrafish embryo. We found that the accumulation of Zonula Occludens-1 (ZO-1) at TJs closely scales with tension of the adjacent actomyosin network, revealing that these junctions are mechanosensitive. Actomyosin tension triggers ZO-1 junctional accumulation by driving retrograde actomyosin flow within the YSL, which transports non-junctional ZO-1 clusters toward the TJ. Nonjunctional ZO-1 clusters form by phase separation, and direct actin binding of ZO-1 is required for stable incorporation of retrogradely flowing ZO-1 clusters into TJs. If the formation and/or junctional incorporation of ZO-1 clusters is impaired, then TJs lose their mechanosensitivity, and consequently, EVL-YSL movement is delayed. Thus, phase separation and flow of non-junctional ZO-1 confer mechanosensitivity to TJs.

Circular or ring-like actin structures play important roles in various developmental and physiological processes. Commonly, these rings are composed of actin filaments and myosin motors (actomyosin) that, upon activation, trigger ring constriction. Actomyosin ring constriction, in turn, has been implicated in key cellular processes ranging from cytokinesis to wound closure. Non-constricting actin ring-like structures also form at cell-cell contacts, where they exert a stabilizing function. Here, we review recent studies on the formation and function of actin ring-like structures in various morphogenetic processes, shedding light on how those different rings have been adapted to fulfill their specific roles.

The developmental strategies used by progenitor cells to endure a safe journey from their induction place towards the site of terminal differentiation are still poorly understood. Here we uncovered a progenitor cell allocation mechanism that stems from an incomplete process of epithelial delamination that allows progenitors to coordinate their movement with adjacent extra-embryonic tissues. Progenitors of the zebrafish laterality organ originate from the surface epithelial enveloping layer by an apical constriction process of cell delamination. During this process, progenitors retain long-term apical contacts that enable the epithelial layer to pull a subset of progenitors along their way towards the vegetal pole. The remaining delaminated progenitors follow apically-attached progenitors' movement by a co-attraction mechanism, avoiding sequestration by the adjacent endoderm, ensuring their fate and collective allocation at the differentiation site. Thus, we reveal that incomplete delamination serves as a cellular platform for coordinated tissue movements during development.

The developmental strategies used by progenitor cells to allow a safe journey from their induction place towards the site of terminal differentiation are still poorly understood. Here we uncovered a mechanism of progenitor cell allocation that stems from an incomplete process of epithelial delamination that allows progenitors to coordinate their movement with adjacent extra-embryonic tissues. Progenitors of the zebrafish laterality organ originate from the superficial epithelial enveloping layer by an apical constriction process of cell delamination. During this process, progenitors retain long-lasting apical contacts that enable the epithelial layer to pull a subset of progenitors on their way to the vegetal pole. The remaining delaminated cells follow the movement of apically attached progenitors by a protrusion-dependent cell-cell contact mechanism, avoiding sequestration by the adjacent endoderm, ensuring their collective fate and allocation at the site of differentiation. Thus, we reveal that incomplete delamination serves as a cellular platform for coordinated tissue movements during development.

Epithelial barrier function is commonly analyzed using transepithelial electrical resistance (TER), which measures the ion flux across epithelia, or by adding traceable macromolecules to one side of the epithelium and monitoring their passage to the other side. While these methods effectively measure changes to global barrier function, they are not sensitive enough to detect local or transient disruptions in the barrier, and they do not reveal the location of barrier breaches within the context of cell or tissue morphology. Therefore, we developed a method that we named Zinc-based Ultrasensitive Microscopic Barrier Assay (ZnUMBA), which overcomes these limitations, allowing for detection of local tight junction (TJ) leaks with high spatial and temporal resolution (Stephenson et al., 2019; Varadarajan et al., 2021). Here, we present expanded applications for ZnUMBA. First, we show that ZnUMBA can be used in Xenopus embryos to measure the dynamics of barrier restoration and actin dynamics following laser injury of the junction. We also demonstrate that ZnUMBA can be effectively utilized in developing zebrafish embryos as well as cultured monolayers of Madin-Darby Canine Kidney II (MDCK II) epithelial cells. ZnUMBA is a powerful and flexible method that, with some optimization, can be applied to multiple systems to measure dynamic changes in barrier function with spatiotemporal precision.