Actomyosin-Driven Tension at Compartmental Boundaries Orients Cell Division Independently of Cell Geometry In Vivo

Cell shape is known to influence the plane of cell division. In vitro, mechanical constraints can also orient mitoses; however, in vivo it is not clear whether tension can orient the mitotic spindle directly, because tissue-scale forces can change cell shape. During segmentation of the Drosophila em...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Developmental cell 2018-12, Vol.47 (6), p.727-740.e6
Main Authors: Scarpa, Elena, Finet, Cédric, Blanchard, Guy B., Sanson, Bénédicte
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Actin Cytoskeleton - physiology
Actomyosin - metabolism
Actomyosin - physiology
actomyosin cortex
Animals
Biomechanical Phenomena - physiology
Cell Division - physiology
cell division orientation
cell mechanics
Cell Shape - physiology
Drosophila
Drosophila melanogaster - genetics
Drosophila melanogaster - metabolism
Drosophila Proteins - genetics
Drosophila Proteins - metabolism
embryogenesis
Mitosis
morphogenesis
Myosin Type II - genetics
quantitative developmental biology
Spindle Apparatus
tissue homeostasis
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Summary:Cell shape is known to influence the plane of cell division. In vitro, mechanical constraints can also orient mitoses; however, in vivo it is not clear whether tension can orient the mitotic spindle directly, because tissue-scale forces can change cell shape. During segmentation of the Drosophila embryo, actomyosin is enriched along compartment boundaries forming supracellular cables that keep cells segregated into distinct compartments. Here, we show that these actomyosin cables orient the planar division of boundary cells perpendicular to the boundaries. This bias overrides the influence of cell shape, when cells are mildly elongated. By decreasing actomyosin cable tension with laser ablation or, conversely, ectopically increasing tension with laser wounding, we demonstrate that local tension is necessary and sufficient to orient mitoses in vivo. This involves capture of the spindle pole by the actomyosin cortex. These findings highlight the importance of actomyosin-mediated tension in spindle orientation in vivo. [Display omitted] •Parasegmental boundary cells (PSB) do not divide according to interphase shape•PSB actomyosin cables are essential to orient mitoses perpendicular to the boundary•Cable laser ablation demonstrates that anisotropic tension orients cell divisions•PSB mitoses are oriented by capture of the centrosome by the actomyosin cortex Scarpa et al. investigated whether mechanical forces can control the orientation of the mitotic spindle in vivo. They found that in the Drosophila embryo, an actomyosin cable, rather than cell shape, orients mitoses at compartmental boundaries. Higher tension along this structure promotes centrosome capture by the actomyosin cortex.
ISSN:1534-5807
1878-1551
DOI:10.1016/j.devcel.2018.10.029