A non-invasive approach to study localized forces in 3D epithelia
Abstract
Epithelial tissue integrity and remodelling rely on mechanical coupling between cytoskeletal organization and adhesion complexes, but their orchestration in three-dimensional (3D) epithelia remains unresolved. Here, we introduced a non-invasive strategy to locally probe forces within 3D epithelial tissues. We engineered elastic polyacrylamide (PAAm) microbeads with cell-like size and mechanical properties, enabling their integration into tissues. PAAm microbeads were spontaneously engulfed by the tissue, establishing an intrinsic interface. This allowed bead deformation to be directly correlated with local cytoskeletal architecture and adhesion organization, visualized through highresolution imaging and quantitative 3D computational reconstruction. Using this approach, we demonstrated that localized mechanical perturbations trigger cytoskeletal remodelling while preserving tissue polarity. We further identified extracellular matrix composition as a key determinant of bead-tissue interactions. At the bead-cell interface, cells assembled tension-bearing focal adhesions and actin stress fibers. Quantitative analysis of bead deformation revealed sub-cellular scale patterns of cell-bead interaction forces, which correlated with the localization of cytoskeletal elements. Our findings extend previous traction force microscopy observations to 3D, revealing coordinated, spatially heterogeneous forces specifically at the cell-bead interface. Taken together, this enabled us to dissect the interplay between cellular processes and tissue mechanics in a non-invasive way in 3D model systems.
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BibTeX
@misc{gouirand2026noninvasive,
title = {{A non-invasive approach to study localized forces in 3D epithelia}},
author = {Niels Gouirand and Muhamet Ibrahimi and Claire Valotteau and Brice Lecouffe and André Le Bivic and Dominique Massey-Harroche and Felix Rico and Matthias Merkel and Delphine Delacour and Elsa Bazellières},
howpublished = {HAL},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05755313v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - A non-invasive approach to study localized forces in 3D epithelia
AU - Niels Gouirand
AU - Muhamet Ibrahimi
AU - Claire Valotteau
AU - Brice Lecouffe
AU - André Le Bivic
AU - Dominique Massey-Harroche
AU - Felix Rico
AU - Matthias Merkel
AU - Delphine Delacour
AU - Elsa Bazellières
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/18
PB - HAL
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05755313v1
AB - Epithelial tissue integrity and remodelling rely on mechanical coupling between cytoskeletal organization and adhesion complexes, but their orchestration in three-dimensional (3D) epithelia remains unresolved. Here, we introduced a non-invasive strategy to locally probe forces within 3D epithelial tissues. We engineered elastic polyacrylamide (PAAm) microbeads with cell-like size and mechanical properties, enabling their integration into tissues. PAAm microbeads were spontaneously engulfed by the tissue, establishing an intrinsic interface. This allowed bead deformation to be directly correlated with local cytoskeletal architecture and adhesion organization, visualized through highresolution imaging and quantitative 3D computational reconstruction. Using this approach, we demonstrated that localized mechanical perturbations trigger cytoskeletal remodelling while preserving tissue polarity. We further identified extracellular matrix composition as a key determinant of bead-tissue interactions. At the bead-cell interface, cells assembled tension-bearing focal adhesions and actin stress fibers. Quantitative analysis of bead deformation revealed sub-cellular scale patterns of cell-bead interaction forces, which correlated with the localization of cytoskeletal elements. Our findings extend previous traction force microscopy observations to 3D, revealing coordinated, spatially heterogeneous forces specifically at the cell-bead interface. Taken together, this enabled us to dissect the interplay between cellular processes and tissue mechanics in a non-invasive way in 3D model systems.
ER -