A dialog between cell adhesion and topology at the core of morphogenesis

TL;DR

This paper reviews how cell adhesion influences tissue topology and morphogenesis, highlighting the global impact of local cell contact changes on embryonic tissue shape and properties.

Contribution

It presents recent advances demonstrating the crucial role of cell adhesion in shaping tissue topology during embryonic development.

Findings

Cell adhesion changes have significant global effects on tissue topology.

Cell adhesion influences the geometric and material properties of tissues.

Local cell contact properties are determinant in morphogenetic processes.

Abstract

During the development of an organism, cells must coordinate and organize to generate the correct shape, structure, and spatial patterns of tissues and organs, a process known as morphogenesis. The morphogenesis of embryonic tissues is supported by multiple processes that induce the precise physical deformations required for tissues to ultimately form organs with complex geometries. Among the most active players shaping the morphogenetic path are fine-tuned changes in cell adhesion. We review here recent advances showing that changes on cell adhesion, a local, pair-wise property defined at the cell-cell contact level has important global consequences for embryonic tissue topology, being determinant in defining both the geometric and material properties of early embryo tissues.