PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Ginger L Hunter
AU  - Li He
AU  - Norbert Perrimon
AU  - Guillaume Charras
AU  - Edward Giniger
AU  - Buzz Baum
TI  - Long-range Notch-mediated tissue patterning requires actomyosin contractility
AID  - 10.1101/259341
DP  - 2018 Jan 01
TA  - bioRxiv
PG  - 259341
4099  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2018/02/02/259341.short
4100  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2018/02/02/259341.full
AB  - Dynamic, actin-based protrusions function in cell-cell signaling in a variety of systems. In the dorsal thorax of the developing fly, basal protrusions enable non-neighboring epithelial cells to touch, extending the range over which Notch-mediated lateral inhibition can occur during bristle patterning. Given that actin-based cell protrusions can exert mechanical forces on their environment and Notch receptor activation is mechanically sensitive, how might cytoskeletal contractility contribute to Notch signaling? We identify a pool of basal non-muscle myosin II (myosin II) that regulates protrusion dynamics, promotes Notch signaling, and is required in signal sending and receiving cells for Notch-dependent patterning. We show that interactions between protrusions are extensive and subject to actomyosin contractility. The effects of reducing myosin II activity are more pronounced for protrusion-mediated signaling than for signaling at lateral cell contacts. Together, these results reveal a role for actomyosin contractility in Notch activation, signaling, and patterning in a developmental context.