Dachsous is a key player in epithelial wound closure through modulating cell shape changes and tissue mechanics.

Abstract

Epithelia are vital tissues in multicellular organisms, acting as barriers between external and internal environments. Simple epithelia, such as those in embryos and the adult gut, have the remarkable ability to repair wounds efficiently, making them ideal for studying epithelial repair mechanisms. In these tissues, wound closure involves the coordinated action of a contractile actomyosin cable at the wound edge and collective cell movements around the wound. However, the dynamics of cell-cell interactions during this process remain poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that Dachsous (Ds), an atypical cadherin associated with planar cell polarity, is crucial for efficient epithelial repair in the Drosophila embryo. We show that the absence of Ds alters tissue mechanics and cell shape changes and rearrangements, leading to slower wound closure. Additionally, we reveal that occluding junctions are necessary for the proper apical localization of Ds, uncovering an unanticipated interaction between these two molecular complexes. This study identifies Ds as a novel key player in epithelial repair and highlights the need for further investigating the molecular mechanisms by which Ds modulates cell shape and tissue morphogenesis.