Reversible superdeformability of hiPSC epithelial cortinoids
Abstract
Epithelial cortinoids, fluid filled shells formed from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), must accommodate large deformations during growth and morphogenesis. Using inflation–deflation assays and high-resolution imaging, we find that these fluid-filled shells are weakly-pressurized and achieve extreme deformability through reversible soft modes of deformation accommodated by the cytoskeleton. We show that cytoskeletal elements such as actin localized along lateral cell edges undergo tilt and bend instabilities that buffer mechanical load by decoupling apico–basal stretching from lateral extension. These reversible instabilities act as elastic safety valves, permitting large shape changes without loss of epithelial hydraulic and topological integrity. A minimal theoretical and computational model demonstrates how tilt and bend reduce effective resistance to radial thinning and explains the observed pressure–strain softening. Thus, iPSC shells exploit reversible cytoskeletal instabilities as mechanical buffers, enabling robust tolerance of large deformations in developing epithelia.
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BibTeX
@article{jana2026reversible,
title = {{Reversible superdeformability of hiPSC epithelial cortinoids}},
author = {Anirban Jana and Justin Tauber and Adeline Boyreau and Gaëlle Recher and Maxime Feyeux and Basile Gurchenkov and Kevin Alessandri and Pierre Nassoy and L Mahadevan},
journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1073/pnas.2528603123},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05338023v2},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Reversible superdeformability of hiPSC epithelial cortinoids
AU - Anirban Jana
AU - Justin Tauber
AU - Adeline Boyreau
AU - Gaëlle Recher
AU - Maxime Feyeux
AU - Basile Gurchenkov
AU - Kevin Alessandri
AU - Pierre Nassoy
AU - L Mahadevan
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/30
JO - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
DO - 10.1073/pnas.2528603123
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05338023v2
AB - Epithelial cortinoids, fluid filled shells formed from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), must accommodate large deformations during growth and morphogenesis. Using inflation–deflation assays and high-resolution imaging, we find that these fluid-filled shells are weakly-pressurized and achieve extreme deformability through reversible soft modes of deformation accommodated by the cytoskeleton. We show that cytoskeletal elements such as actin localized along lateral cell edges undergo tilt and bend instabilities that buffer mechanical load by decoupling apico–basal stretching from lateral extension. These reversible instabilities act as elastic safety valves, permitting large shape changes without loss of epithelial hydraulic and topological integrity. A minimal theoretical and computational model demonstrates how tilt and bend reduce effective resistance to radial thinning and explains the observed pressure–strain softening. Thus, iPSC shells exploit reversible cytoskeletal instabilities as mechanical buffers, enabling robust tolerance of large deformations in developing epithelia.
SN - 0027-8424
SN - 1091-6490
ER -