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Chen Y, Gao Q, Li J, Mao F, Tang R, Jiang H. Activation of Topological Defects Induces a Brittle-to-Ductile Transition in Epithelial Monolayers. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2022; 128:018101. [PMID: 35061486 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.128.018101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Epithelial monolayers are subjected to various mechanical forces, such as stretching, shearing, and compression. Thus, its mechanical response to external loadings is essential for its biological functions. However, the mechanism of the fracture failure of the epithelial monolayer remains poorly understood. Here, by introducing a new type of topological transition, i.e., detach transition or T4 transition, we develop a modified cellular vertex model to investigate the rupture of the cell monolayer. Interestingly, we find a brittle-to-ductile transition in epithelial monolayers, which is controlled by the mechanical properties of single cells and cell-cell contacts. We reveal that the external loadings can activate cell rearrangement in ductile cell monolayers. The plastic deformation results from the nucleation and propagation of "pentagon-heptagon defects" in analogy with the topological defects commonly seen in 2D materials. By using a simplified four-cell model, we further demonstrate that the brittle-to-ductile transition is induced by the competition between cell rearrangement and cell detachment. Our work provides a new theoretical framework to study the rupture of living tissues and may have important implications for many other biological processes, such as wound healing and tissue morphogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yixia Chen
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Science at the Microscale, CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Materials, CAS Center for Excellence in Complex System Mechanics, Department of Modern Mechanics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Qigan Gao
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Science at the Microscale, CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Materials, CAS Center for Excellence in Complex System Mechanics, Department of Modern Mechanics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Jingchen Li
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Science at the Microscale, CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Materials, CAS Center for Excellence in Complex System Mechanics, Department of Modern Mechanics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Fangtao Mao
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Science at the Microscale, CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Materials, CAS Center for Excellence in Complex System Mechanics, Department of Modern Mechanics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Ruowen Tang
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Science at the Microscale, CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Materials, CAS Center for Excellence in Complex System Mechanics, Department of Modern Mechanics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Hongyuan Jiang
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Science at the Microscale, CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Materials, CAS Center for Excellence in Complex System Mechanics, Department of Modern Mechanics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
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