The intensity of Lifeact-EGFP at the apical cortex is inversely correlated with apical cell area. (A) The ratio of Lifeact-EGFP intensity at the apical cortex relative to the cell junctions increases as the apical cell area shrinks. Graphs show mean (colored line) and individual cells (grey lines) for the normalized Lifeact-EGFP intensity and apical cell area over time in three embryos. (B) Spearman’s rank correlation was computed to assess the relationship between mean Lifeact-EGFP intensity at the apical cortex (medial/junctional) and mean apical cell area for each embryo. (C) Correlation coefficients for the change in Lifeact-EGFP intensity at the apical cortex versus the change in apical cell area for individual cells. There is a moderate, but highly significant correlation (***P < 0.0001, n = 26 cells from 3 embryos, one sample, two-sided t test).