Mechanobiological cross-talk between epithelia and their immediate environment

The aim of this project area is to study the interaction of epithelia with their surroundings. Epithelia as boundary-forming tissues are interacting with other tissue types. For example, epithelial-endothelial, and epithelial-inflammatory cell cross-talk is at the core of many pulmonary diseases, and epithelial-connective tissue cross-talk determines epithelial pathophysiological differentiation and aging. The involvement of mechanical signals in these processes is poorly understood, despite its high clinical relevance. The goal of this project area is to investigate modes of different types of cross-talk at the single cell and tissue level and to identify the underlying molecular pathways to facilitate tissue engineering and disease management. The selected paradigms address these questions in the respiratory system that is involved in breathing (inspiration and expiration) and gas exchange. Here, mechanical forces act on the topological outside, i.e., ventilation, as well as on the inside via capillaries, i.e., blood flow, all of which are coupled to connective tissue. The new project on the retinal pigment epithelium adds another degree of complexity since it interfaces with connective tissue at its basal side and with neuronal tissue at its apical side.
Modeling the small airway mucosa in vitro to study mechanobiological effects on tissue remodeling
Department of Biohybrid & Medical Textiles (BioTex), AME-Institute of Applied Medical Engineering, RWTH Aachen University
Stefan Jockenhövel
Principal Investigator
Lena Thiebes
Principal Investigator
Hannah Kubiza
Doctoral Researcher
Stress-induced remodeling of an in vitro airway model
Project overview. (A) In vitro tri-culture model of the airway mucosa. PAS and immunohistochemical staining presenting an epithelial layer on top and an underlying fibrin gel seeded with endothelial and supporting cells. (B) Induced differentiation and tissue remodeling of the airway mucosa model after exposure to (patho-)physiological mechanical strain (stretch, pressure, compression, stiffness, wall shear stress) and involvement of mechanosensitive channels/mechano-responsive proteins are investigated.