Chromosome Segregation Fidelity in Epithelia Requires Tissue Architecture

Highlights

• Primary epithelial cells missegregate chromosomes when cultured as monolayers

• Organoid culture rescues mitotic defects in an integrin-dependent manner

• Tissue architecture promotes correction of merotelic kinetochore attachments

• Disruption of tissue architecture could underlie chromosome instability in cancer

Summary

Much of our understanding of chromosome segregation is based on cell culture systems. Here, we examine the importance of the tissue environment for chromosome segregation by comparing chromosome segregation fidelity across several primary cell types in native and nonnative contexts. We discover that epithelial cells have increased chromosome missegregation outside of their native tissues. Using organoid culture systems, we show that tissue architecture, specifically integrin function, is required for accurate chromosome segregation. We find that tissue architecture enhances the correction of merotelic microtubule-kinetochore attachments, and this is especially important for maintaining chromosome stability in the polyploid liver. We propose that disruption of tissue architecture could underlie the widespread chromosome instability across epithelial cancers. Moreover, our findings highlight the extent to which extracellular context can influence intrinsic cellular processes and the limitations of cell culture systems for studying cells that naturally function within a tissue.