Marangoni-driven redistribution and activity of Piezo1 molecules in epithelial and cancer cells

Pajic-Lijakovic, Ivana and Milivojevic, Milan and Martinac, Boris and McClintock, Peter V.E. (2026) Marangoni-driven redistribution and activity of Piezo1 molecules in epithelial and cancer cells. Advances in Colloid and Interface Science. ISSN 0001-8686 (In Press)

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Abstract

The activity and distribution of Piezo1 molecules, along with the maturity and strength of focal adhesions (FAs), serve as critical factors influencing cell mechanosensing. Notably, migrating epithelial cells and mesenchymal-like cancer cells exhibit significantly different behaviors regarding these elements. In cancer cells, Piezo1 molecules are distributed uniformly, while in epithelial cells, their distribution is heterogeneous. In epithelial cells, Piezo1 molecules tend to group around FAs, a phenomenon that is enhanced by actomyosin contractility. However, a reduction in contractility results in a more uniform distribution of Piezo1 molecules. The expression and activity levels of Piezo1 molecules are markedly higher in cancer cells compared to epithelial cells. The activity of Piezo1 molecules correlates with the intracellular calcium concentration. Despite the extensive experimental studies on the properties of migrating epithelial and mesenchymal-like cancer cells, the physical explanations remain lacking. The primary objective of this theoretical study is to explore: (i) the inhomogeneous distribution of Piezo1 molecules in epithelial cells in relation to the Marangoni effect, (ii) the heightened activity of Piezo1 molecules in cancer cells by specifying the driving force, and (iii) the influence of membrane-mediated interactions among Piezo1 molecules grouped near FAs in epithelial cells on their activity.