Environmental control of melanocyte differentiation and transformation through cell adhesion and mechanics

We previously revealed links between epithelial cell-cell adhesion, cell polarity and mechanochemical signaling. Within the DFG-CRC1027 we explored how direct micro-environmental factors such as adhesion, biomechanical properties and spatial constraints control the differentiation of melanocytes and how alterations in these entities contribute to hypopigmentation and malignant disease. By combining functionalized surfaces and defined adhesion geometries with quantitative analysis of cell mechanics, loss-of-function models for polarity regulators and various reporter systems, we aimed to delineate signaling pathways that link control of cell adhesion, shape and differentiation in this neural-crest derived cell lineage. See our preprint  (Luthold et al., 2024), a study funded by the DFG (CRC 1027, project A12 to S. Iden).