Dynamics of cell contacts during cell sorting at compartment boundaries in Drosophila

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The partitioning of proliferating tissues into groups of non-intermingling cells, termed compartments, is crucial for animal development. Sharp and straight boundaries between compartments are important for the positioning of signalling centres and thus for growth and patterning. Cell rearrangements caused by cell division challenge, however, straight and sharp compartment boundaries. Our recent findings indicate that differential Myosin II-dependent mechanical tension on cell junctions is important for maintaining straight interfaces between compartments. The aim of this project is to understand how such a differential mechanical tension guides the rearrangement of cells after cell division to maintain straight compartment boundaries. We will combine live imaging, Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP), and laser nanosurgery with quantitative image analysis to determine and to correlate the dynamics of cell junctions with the dynamics of the Myosin II motor protein and the dynamics of mechanical tension in cells dividing along the anteroposterior compartment boundary of the developing Drosophila wing. The functional significance of junctional dynamics along the anteroposterior compartment boundary will be tested in experiments using mutants for Myosin II. We expect that this project will provide novel mechanistic insights into the cellular mechanisms that guide cell sorting during animal development.