Two Distinct Integrin-Mediated Mechanisms Contribute to Apical Lumen Formation in Epithelial Cells

Background: Formation of apical compartments underlies the morphogenesis of most epithelial organs during development. The extracellular matrix (ECM), particularly the basement membrane (BM), plays an important role in orienting the apico-basal polarity and thereby the positioning of apical lumens. Integrins have been recognized as essential mediators of matrix-derived polarity signals. The importance of b1-integrins in epithelial polarization is well established but the significance of the accompanying a-subunits have not been analyzed in detail. Principal Findings: Here we demonstrate that two distinct integrin-dependent pathways regulate formation of apical lumens to ensure robust apical membrane biogenesis under different microenvironmental conditions; 1) a2b1- and a6b4integrins were required to establish a basal cue that depends on Rac1-activity and guides apico-basal cell polarization. 2) a3b1-integrins were implicated in positioning of mitotic spindles in cysts, a process that is essential for Cdc42-driven epithelial hollowing. Significance: Identification of the separate processes driven by particular integrin receptors clarifies the functional hierarchies between the different integrins co-expressed in epithelial cells and provides valuable insight into the complexity of cell-ECM interactions thereby guiding future studies addressing the molecular basis of epithelial morphogenesis durin

Synaptotagmin-like proteins control the formation of a single apical membrane domain in epithelial cells

The formation of epithelial tissues requires both the generation of apical-basal polarity and the coordination of this polarity between neighbouring cells to form a central lumen. During de novo lumen formation, vectorial membrane transport contributes t

Smoothelin-like 2 Inhibits Coronin-1B to Stabilize the Apical Actin Cortex during Epithelial Morphogenesis.

The actin cortex is involved in many biological processes and needs to be significantly remodeled during cell differentiation. Developing epithelial cells construct a dense apical actin cortex to carry out their barrier and exchange functions. The apical cortex assembles in response to three-dimensional (3D) extracellular cues, but the regulation of this process during epithelial morphogenesis remains unknown. Here, we describe the function of Smoothelin-like 2 (SMTNL2), a member of the smooth-muscle-related Smoothelin protein family, in apical cortex maturation. SMTNL2 is induced during development in multiple epithelial tissues and localizes to the apical and junctional actin cortex in intestinal and kidney epithelial cells. SMTNL2 deficiency leads to membrane herniations in the apical domain of epithelial cells, indicative of cortex abnormalities. We find that SMTNL2 binds to actin filaments and is required to slow down the turnover of apical actin. We also characterize the SMTNL2 proximal interactome and find that SMTNL2 executes its functions partly through inhibition of coronin-1B. Although coronin-1B-mediated actin dynamics are required for early morphogenesis, its sustained activity is detrimental for the mature apical shape. SMTNL2 binds to coronin-1B through its N-terminal coiled-coil region and negates its function to stabilize the apical cortex. In sum, our results unveil a mechanism for regulating actin dynamics during epithelial morphogenesis, providing critical insights on the developmental control of the cellular cortex

Methods to Generate Tube Micropatterns for Epithelial Morphogenetic Analyses and Tissue Engineering.

Cells live in a highly curved and folded 3D microenvironment within the human body. Since epithelial cells in internal organs usually adopt a tubular shape, there is a need to engineer simple in vitro devices to promote this cellular configuration. The aim of these devices would be to investigate epithelial morphogenesis and cell behavior-leading to the development of more sophisticated platforms for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. In this chapter, we first explain the need for such epithelial tubular micropatterns based on anatomical considerations and then survey methods that can be used to study different aspects of epithelial tubulogenesis. The methods examined can broadly be divided into two classes: conventional 2D microfabrication for the formation of simple epithelial tubes in substrates of different stiffness; and 3D approaches to enable the self-assembly of organoid-derived epithelial tubes in a tubular configuration. These methods demonstrate that modeling tubulogenesis in vitro with high resolution, accuracy, and reproducibility is possible