---
_id: '9750'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: Tension of the actomyosin cell cortex plays a key role in determining cell-cell
    contact growth and size. The level of cortical tension outside of the cell-cell
    contact, when pulling at the contact edge, scales with the total size to which
    a cell-cell contact can grow1,2. Here we show in zebrafish primary germ layer
    progenitor cells that this monotonic relationship only applies to a narrow range
    of cortical tension increase, and that above a critical threshold, contact size
    inversely scales with cortical tension. This switch from cortical tension increasing
    to decreasing progenitor cell-cell contact size is caused by cortical tension
    promoting E-cadherin anchoring to the actomyosin cytoskeleton, thereby increasing
    clustering and stability of E-cadherin at the contact. Once tension-mediated E-cadherin
    stabilization at the contact exceeds a critical threshold level, the rate by which
    the contact expands in response to pulling forces from the cortex sharply drops,
    leading to smaller contacts at physiologically relevant timescales of contact
    formation. Thus, the activity of cortical tension in expanding cell-cell contact
    size is limited by tension stabilizing E-cadherin-actin complexes at the contact.
acknowledged_ssus:
- _id: Bio
- _id: EM-Fac
- _id: SSU
acknowledgement: We would like to thank Edouard Hannezo for discussions, Shayan Shami
  Pour and Daniel Capek for help with data analysis, Vanessa Barone and other members
  of the Heisenberg laboratory for thoughtful discussions and comments on the manuscript.
  We also thank Jack Merrin for preparing the microwells, and the Scientific Service
  Units at IST Austria, specifically Bioimaging and Electron Microscopy, and the Zebrafish
  Facility for continuous support. We acknowledge Hitoshi Morita for the kind gift
  of VinculinB-GFP plasmid. This research was supported by an ERC Advanced Grant (MECSPEC)
  to C.-P.H, EMBO Long Term grant (ALTF 187-2013) to M.S and IST Fellow Marie-Curie
  COFUND No. P_IST_EU01 to J.S.
article_processing_charge: No
author:
- first_name: Jana
  full_name: Slovakova, Jana
  id: 30F3F2F0-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
  last_name: Slovakova
- first_name: Mateusz K
  full_name: Sikora, Mateusz K
  id: 2F74BCDE-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
  last_name: Sikora
- first_name: Silvia
  full_name: Caballero Mancebo, Silvia
  id: 2F1E1758-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
  last_name: Caballero Mancebo
  orcid: 0000-0002-5223-3346
- first_name: Gabriel
  full_name: Krens, Gabriel
  id: 2B819732-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
  last_name: Krens
  orcid: 0000-0003-4761-5996
- first_name: Walter
  full_name: Kaufmann, Walter
  id: 3F99E422-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
  last_name: Kaufmann
  orcid: 0000-0001-9735-5315
- first_name: Karla
  full_name: Huljev, Karla
  id: 44C6F6A6-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
  last_name: Huljev
- first_name: Carl-Philipp J
  full_name: Heisenberg, Carl-Philipp J
  id: 39427864-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
  last_name: Heisenberg
  orcid: 0000-0002-0912-4566
citation:
  ama: Slovakova J, Sikora MK, Caballero Mancebo S, et al. Tension-dependent stabilization
    of E-cadherin limits cell-cell contact expansion. <i>bioRxiv</i>. 2020. doi:<a
    href="https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.11.20.391284">10.1101/2020.11.20.391284</a>
  apa: Slovakova, J., Sikora, M. K., Caballero Mancebo, S., Krens, G., Kaufmann, W.,
    Huljev, K., &#38; Heisenberg, C.-P. J. (2020). Tension-dependent stabilization
    of E-cadherin limits cell-cell contact expansion. <i>bioRxiv</i>. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.11.20.391284">https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.11.20.391284</a>
  chicago: Slovakova, Jana, Mateusz K Sikora, Silvia Caballero Mancebo, Gabriel Krens,
    Walter Kaufmann, Karla Huljev, and Carl-Philipp J Heisenberg. “Tension-Dependent
    Stabilization of E-Cadherin Limits Cell-Cell Contact Expansion.” <i>BioRxiv</i>,
    2020. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.11.20.391284">https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.11.20.391284</a>.
  ieee: J. Slovakova <i>et al.</i>, “Tension-dependent stabilization of E-cadherin
    limits cell-cell contact expansion,” <i>bioRxiv</i>. 2020.
  ista: Slovakova J, Sikora MK, Caballero Mancebo S, Krens G, Kaufmann W, Huljev K,
    Heisenberg C-PJ. 2020. Tension-dependent stabilization of E-cadherin limits cell-cell
    contact expansion. bioRxiv, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.11.20.391284">10.1101/2020.11.20.391284</a>.
  mla: Slovakova, Jana, et al. “Tension-Dependent Stabilization of E-Cadherin Limits
    Cell-Cell Contact Expansion.” <i>BioRxiv</i>, 2020, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.11.20.391284">10.1101/2020.11.20.391284</a>.
  short: J. Slovakova, M.K. Sikora, S. Caballero Mancebo, G. Krens, W. Kaufmann, K.
    Huljev, C.-P.J. Heisenberg, BioRxiv (2020).
date_created: 2021-07-29T11:29:50Z
date_published: 2020-11-20T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2026-09-05T22:30:27Z
day: '20'
department:
- _id: CaHe
- _id: EM-Fac
- _id: Bio
doi: 10.1101/2020.11.20.391284
ec_funded: 1
language:
- iso: eng
main_file_link:
- open_access: '1'
  url: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.11.20.391284
month: '11'
oa: 1
oa_version: Preprint
page: '41'
project:
- _id: 25681D80-B435-11E9-9278-68D0E5697425
  call_identifier: FP7
  grant_number: '291734'
  name: International IST Postdoc Fellowship Programme
- _id: 260F1432-B435-11E9-9278-68D0E5697425
  call_identifier: H2020
  grant_number: '742573'
  name: Interaction and feedback between cell mechanics and fate specification in
    vertebrate gastrulation
- _id: 2521E28E-B435-11E9-9278-68D0E5697425
  grant_number: 187-2013
  name: Modulation of adhesion function in cell-cell contact formation by cortical
    tension
publication: bioRxiv
publication_status: published
related_material:
  record:
  - id: '10766'
    relation: later_version
    status: public
  - id: '9623'
    relation: dissertation_contains
    status: public
status: public
title: Tension-dependent stabilization of E-cadherin limits cell-cell contact expansion
type: preprint
user_id: 2DF688A6-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
year: '2020'
...