A transient contractile seam promotes epithelial sealing and sequential assembly of body segments
In embryos, epithelial sealing proceeds with progressive zipping eventually leading to a scar-free epithelium and ensuring the assembly of body segments in insects and neural tube in mammals. How zipping is mechanically controlled to promote tissue fusion on long distances, remains unclear. Combining physical modeling with genetic and mechanical perturbations, we reveal the existence of a transient contractile seam that generates forces to reduce the zipping angle by force balance, consequently promoting epidermal sealing during Drosophila embryogenesis. The seam is formed by the adhesion of two tissues, the epidermis and amnioserosa, and is stabilized by the tensions generated by the segment boundaries. Once a segment is zipped, the seam disassembles concurrently with the inactivation of the Jun kinase pathway. Thus, we show that epithelial sealing is promoted by a transient actomyosin contractile seam allowing sequential segment assembly.
Authors
- Enrique Martı́n-Blanco (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6926-910X)
- Julien Colombelli (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2784-4276)
- Élise Trubuil
- Guillermo Bengoetxea (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1048-4745)
- Amélie Luise Godeau (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8778-0120)
- Miquel Marín-Riera (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0746-6503)
- Svana Rogalla (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2972-7345)
- James Sharpe (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1434-9743)
- Jérôme Solon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9967-9794)
- Thomas J. Pujol
- Lenka Backová
Institutions
- Ikerbasque (ES)
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ES)
- University of the Basque Country (ES)
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (ES)
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory (ES)
- Fundación Biofísica Bizkaia (ES)
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (ES)
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (ES)
- Institut de Biologia Molecular de Barcelona (ES)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2025-04-29
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-58566-z
- Primary Topic
- Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Centres de Recerca de Catalunya
- Generalitat de Catalunya
- Eusko Jaurlaritza
- Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad
- Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea
- Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación
- European Regional Development Fund
- Agencia Estatal de Investigación