Jan Rozman (Oxford University), Matej Krajnc, and Primož Ziherl have published a paper titled “Basolateral cell mechanics prevents rigidity transition in epithelial monolayers” in Physical Review Letters. In this study, the authors employ a three-dimensional vertex model to explore how lateral surface tensions influence the structure and mechanical rigidity of epithelial tissues. Their findings reveal that epithelial cells exhibit apicobasal asymmetry, with one side of the cell appearing more ordered than the other, depending on the target apical perimeter. Unlike two-dimensional models, which predict a rigidity transition where tissues shift between soft and rigid states, the 3D model shows that epithelial tissues maintain a solidlike behavior across all parameter space.