Invited Talk

Strength and rheology of epithelial tissues

Engineering Department, Cambridge University, Trumpington Street, Cambridge, CB2 1PZ, UK

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Epithelial tissues are crucial during embryonic development and in adult organisms, forming essential physiological barriers within the body. These tissues frequently undergo and even instigate significant deformations while maintaining mechanical integrity. This presentation explores the dynamics of epithelial tissues under various strains and strain rates, emphasizing modelling strategies. Experimental investigations of in-vitro suspended epithelial monolayers of Madin-Darby Canine Kidney cells reveal that these materials exhibit complex visco-elastic rheology and active contractile behaviours, leading to tensioning and spontaneous curling at free edges. At large deformations, the rheology becomes highly non-linear and rate dependent, a behaviour associated with the recruitment of intermediate filaments as load-bearing components. This regime is particularly relevant when exploring the initiation of tissue rupture, which results from the interaction between the material's non-linear rheology and the collective dynamics of linker populations at junctions. Our findings shed light on the complementary roles of key cytoskeletal networks in maintaining mechanical integrity and barrier function of epithelial tissues.