UBC Math Bio: Mingfei Qiu

Supracellular actomyosin cables often drive morphogenesis in development. The origin of these cables is poorly understood. We show theoretically and computationally that under external loading, cell-cell junctions capable of mechanical feedback could undergo spontaneous symmetry breaking and establish a dominant path through which tension propagates, giving rise to a contractile cable. This type of cables transmit force perturbation over a long range, and can be modulated by the tissue properties and the external loading magnitude. Our theory is general and highlights the potential role of mechanical signals in guiding development.