Apical constriction: themes and variations on a cellular mechanism driving morphogenesis

Abstract

Apical constriction is a cell shape change that promotes tissue remodeling in a variety of homeostatic and developmental contexts, including gastrulation in many organisms and neural tube formation in vertebrates. In recent years, progress has been made towards understanding how the distinct cell biological processes that together drive apical constriction are coordinated. These processes include the contraction of actin-myosin networks, which generates force, and the attachment of actin networks to cell-cell junctions, which allows forces to be transmitted between cells. Different cell types regulate contractility and adhesion in unique ways, resulting in apical constriction with varying dynamics and subcellular organizations, as well as a variety of resulting tissue shape changes. Understanding both the common themes and the variations in apical constriction mechanisms promises to provide insight into the mechanics that underlie tissue morphogenesis.

Apical constriction is driven by a pulsatile apical myosin network in delaminating Drosophila neuroblasts

“…The apical constriction process in ventral furrow cells during invagination is well characterized (Martin and Goldstein, 2014). The delaminating neuroblasts display similarity with ventral furrow cells in terms of apical constriction speed, duration, pulsatile behavior and the underlying actin-myosin network organizational mode.…”

“…Delaminating neuroblasts undergo apical constriction as a first step in leaving the epithelial layer. The apical constriction process is primarily driven by an apical myosin network (Martin and Goldstein, 2014). However, the organization and dynamics of the actin-myosin network vary in different contexts (Martin and Goldstein, 2014).…”

“…The apical constriction process is primarily driven by an apical myosin network (Martin and Goldstein, 2014). However, the organization and dynamics of the actin-myosin network vary in different contexts (Martin and Goldstein, 2014). The contractile actin-myosin machinery important for apical constriction can be distinguished into two categories.…”

The contractome – a systems view of actomyosin contractility in non-muscle cells

“…Our data excludes functions that have been described for specialized cells and contractile processes encompassing multiple cells. For descriptions of tissue level functions of actomyosin contractility, we refer the reader to other reviews (Gorfinkiel and Blanchard, 2011;Heisenberg and Bellaiche, 2013;Lecuit et al, 2011;Martin and Goldstein, 2014;Munjal and Lecuit, 2014).…”

Cdc25 and the importance of G2control

“…3A). 35 In gastrulating Drosophila and Xenopus embryos, cells undergoing apical constriction block cell division by limiting the activity of Cdc25. In Xenopus, this is accomplished by an increase in wee1 expression in the cells undergoing apical constriction.…”