A collaboration between researchers at the Price College of Engineering and King’s College, London, reveals how tissues determine which cells to remove when they become overcrowded.
Published in Nature, the research reveals that cells with the lowest energy levels are the ones selected for extrusion, a process that maintains healthy, balanced cellular barriers in organs such as the lungs and gut.
Led by King’s College Professor Jody Rosenblatt and postdoctoral researcher Saranne Mitchell, the research has roots in the lab of co-author Tom Zangle, Associate Professor in the Price College of Engineering’s Department of Chemical Engineering. Mitchell began the research there as part of her doctoral studies in the Department of Biomedical Engineering.
Epithelial tissues must constantly renew themselves, replacing dying cells while preventing overgrowth. The team discovered that cells about to be extruded show a drop in available energy and membrane potential, which helps identify the weakest cells in crowded tissue. An ion transport protein then senses when cells becomes too dense, triggering a self-correcting response known as cell extrusion.
At the early stages of this study, researchers used quantitative phase imaging, a microscopy technique and specialty of the Zangle Lab that measures how light shifts as it passes through living cells. This allowed the team to track changes in cell mass over time during extrusion without disrupting cell behavior.
“This study also highlights the use of live cell imaging to study fundamental biology and impact human health,” says Zangle.