  The alignment of cell-cell junctions and associated cortical actomyosin
across multiple cells to form supracellular cables in an epithelium is an
example of the long range tissue organization that drives morphogenesis. Here
we demonstrate that the ability of tissues to assemble these parallel cables
depends on the initial packing topology of the cells in the epithelium. Using a
computational vertex model we develop two methods of measuring a disordered
tissue's favorability to forming cables under an external stress. These
measures quantify the deformation of cells and the distribution of tension in
the tissue under stress. Using these measures we show that passive
stress-induced cell flow reduces a tissue's ability to form cables, whereas
oriented divisions create a packing which can sustain multiple parallel cables.
These measures are applied to a region of the the Drosophila demonstrating a
shift to a more cable-friendly packing after a wave of oriented divisions in
the region.
