Fig 9. Enzymatic degradation of Collagen IV and actomyosin contractility in 96 h wing discs.

(A-D) Enzymatic degradation of the wing disc in the presence of ROCK inhibitor to inhibit actomyosin contractility results in loss of adhesion between the squamous cells (top layer) and the central columnar cells. (A’-D’) Computational simulation of acute removal of ECM, removal of adhesion between cell layers, and removal of actomyosin contractility components below the nuclear qualitatively match the experimental results. The experimental wing disc is stained with CellMask.