The role of tissue maturity and mechanical state in controlling cell extrusion.

Epithelia remove dying or excess cells by extrusion, a process that seamlessly squeezes cells out of the layer without disrupting their barrier function. New studies shed light into the intricate relationship between extrusion, tissue mechanics, and development. They emphasize the importance of whole tissue-mechanics, rather than single cell-mechanics in controlling extrusion. Tissue compaction, stiffness, and cell-cell adhesion can impact the efficiency of cell extrusion and mechanisms that drive it, to adapt to different conditions during development or disease.