1
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Rombouts J, Elliott J, Erzberger A. Forceful patterning: theoretical principles of mechanochemical pattern formation. EMBO Rep 2023; 24:e57739. [PMID: 37916772 DOI: 10.15252/embr.202357739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Biological pattern formation is essential for generating and maintaining spatial structures from the scale of a single cell to tissues and even collections of organisms. Besides biochemical interactions, there is an important role for mechanical and geometrical features in the generation of patterns. We review the theoretical principles underlying different types of mechanochemical pattern formation across spatial scales and levels of biological organization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Rombouts
- Cell Biology and Biophysics Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Heidelberg, Germany
- Developmental Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jenna Elliott
- Cell Biology and Biophysics Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Anna Erzberger
- Cell Biology and Biophysics Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
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2
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Jhunjhunwala M, Yu LS, Kuo PC, Li CY, Chen CS. Tumor-Derived Membrane Vesicles Restrain Migration in Gliomas By Altering Collective Polarization. ACS APPLIED BIO MATERIALS 2023; 6:4764-4774. [PMID: 37862244 DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.3c00533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2023]
Abstract
Mechanobiology is a cornerstone in physiology. However, its role in biomedical applications remains considerably undermined. In this study, we employed cell membrane vesicles (CMVs), which are currently being used as nanodrug carriers, as tactile cues for mechano-regulation of collective cell behaviors. Gliomas, which are among the most resilient brain tumors and have a low patient survival rate, were used as the cell model. We observed that mechanical responses due to the application of glioma- or microglia-derived CMVs resulted in the doubling of the traction stress of glioma cell collectives with a 10-fold increase in the CMV concentration. Glioma-CMVs constrained cell protrusions and hindered their collective migration, with the migration speed of such cells declining by almost 40% compared to the untreated cells. We speculated that the alteration of collective polarization leads to migration speed changes, and this phenomenon was elucidated using the cellular Potts model. In addition to intracellular force modulation and cytoskeletal reorganization, glioma-CMVs altered drug diffusion within glioma spheroids by downregulating the mechano-signaling protein YAP-1 while also marginally enhancing the associated apoptotic events. Our results suggest that glioma-CMVs can be applied as an adjuvant to current treatment approaches to restrict tumor invasion and enhance the penetration of reagents within tumors. Considering the broad impact of mechano-transduction on cell functions, the regulation of cell mechanics through CMVs can provide a foundation for alternative therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lin-Sheng Yu
- National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 300044, Republic of China
| | - Ping-Chen Kuo
- National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 300044, Republic of China
| | - Chia-Yang Li
- Graduate Institute of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Republic of China
- Department of Medical Research, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 80708, Republic of China
- Department of Biological Science and Technology, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung 91201, Republic of China
| | - Chi-Shuo Chen
- National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 300044, Republic of China
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3
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Hadjifrangiskou I, Ruske LJ, Yeomans JM. Active nematics with deformable particles. SOFT MATTER 2023; 19:6664-6670. [PMID: 37609906 DOI: 10.1039/d3sm00627a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/24/2023]
Abstract
The hydrodynamic theory of active nematics has been often used to describe the spatio-temporal dynamics of cell flows and motile topological defects within soft confluent tissues. Those theories, however, often rely on the assumption that tissues consist of cells with a fixed, anisotropic shape and do not resolve dynamical cell shape changes due to flow gradients. In this paper we extend the continuum theory of active nematics to include cell shape deformability. We find that circular cells in tissues must generate sufficient active stress to overcome an elastic barrier to deforming their shape in order to drive tissue-scale flows. Above this threshold the systems enter a dynamical steady-state with regions of elongated cells and strong flows coexisting with quiescent regions of isotropic cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ioannis Hadjifrangiskou
- The Rudolf Peierls Centre for Theoretical Physics, Beecroft Building, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PU, UK.
| | - Liam J Ruske
- The Rudolf Peierls Centre for Theoretical Physics, Beecroft Building, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PU, UK.
| | - Julia M Yeomans
- The Rudolf Peierls Centre for Theoretical Physics, Beecroft Building, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PU, UK.
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4
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Ahmed RK, Abdalrahman T, Davies NH, Vermolen F, Franz T. Mathematical model of mechano-sensing and mechanically induced collective motility of cells on planar elastic substrates. Biomech Model Mechanobiol 2023; 22:809-824. [PMID: 36814004 DOI: 10.1007/s10237-022-01682-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Abstract
Cells mechanically interact with their environment to sense, for example, topography, elasticity and mechanical cues from other cells. Mechano-sensing has profound effects on cellular behaviour, including motility. The current study aims to develop a mathematical model of cellular mechano-sensing on planar elastic substrates and demonstrate the model's predictive capabilities for the motility of individual cells in a colony. In the model, a cell is assumed to transmit an adhesion force, derived from a dynamic focal adhesion integrin density, that locally deforms a substrate, and to sense substrate deformation originating from neighbouring cells. The substrate deformation from multiple cells is expressed as total strain energy density with a spatially varying gradient. The magnitude and direction of the gradient at the cell location define the cell motion. Cell-substrate friction, partial motion randomness, and cell death and division are included. The substrate deformation by a single cell and the motility of two cells are presented for several substrate elasticities and thicknesses. The collective motility of 25 cells on a uniform substrate mimicking the closure of a circular wound of 200 µm is predicted for deterministic and random motion. Cell motility on substrates with varying elasticity and thickness is explored for four cells and 15 cells, the latter again mimicking wound closure. Wound closure by 45 cells is used to demonstrate the simulation of cell death and division during migration. The mathematical model can adequately simulate the mechanically induced collective cell motility on planar elastic substrates. The model is suitable for extension to other cell and substrates shapes and the inclusion of chemotactic cues, offering the potential to complement in vitro and in vivo studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riham K Ahmed
- Division of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Human Biology, Biomedical Engineering Research Centre, University of Cape Town, Observatory, South Africa.
| | - Tamer Abdalrahman
- Division of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Human Biology, Biomedical Engineering Research Centre, University of Cape Town, Observatory, South Africa
- Computational Mechanobiology, Julius Wolff Institute for Biomechanics and Musculoskeletal Regeneration, Charité Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Neil H Davies
- Cardiovascular Research Unit, Chris Barnard Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, MRC IUCHRU, University of Cape Town, Observatory, South Africa
| | - Fred Vermolen
- Computational Mathematics Group, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Hasselt, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Thomas Franz
- Division of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Human Biology, Biomedical Engineering Research Centre, University of Cape Town, Observatory, South Africa
- Bioengineering Science Research Group, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
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5
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Zhao T, Yuan H. The analytical solution to the migration of an epithelial monolayer with a circular spreading front and its implications in the gap closure process. Biomech Model Mechanobiol 2023:10.1007/s10237-023-01723-4. [PMID: 37149822 DOI: 10.1007/s10237-023-01723-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
The coordinated behaviors of epithelial cells are widely observed in tissue development, such as re-epithelialization, tumor growth, and morphogenesis. In these processes, cells either migrate collectively or organize themselves into specific structures to serve certain purposes. In this work, we study a spreading epithelial monolayer whose migrating front encloses a circular gap in the monolayer center. Such tissue is usually used to mimic the wound healing process in vitro. We model the epithelial sheet as a layer of active viscous polar fluid. With an axisymmetric assumption, the model can be analytically solved under two special conditions, suggesting two possible spreading modes for the epithelial monolayer. Based on these two sets of analytical solutions, we assess the velocity of the spreading front affected by the gap size, the active intercellular contractility, and the purse-string contraction acting on the spreading edge. Several critical values exist in the model parameters for the initiation of the gap closure process, and the purse-string contraction plays a vital role in governing the gap closure kinetics. Finally, the instability of the morphology of the spreading front was studied. Numerical calculations show how the perturbated velocities and the growth rates vary with respect to different model parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiankai Zhao
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Soft Mechanics & Smart Manufacturing, Department of Mechanics and Aerospace Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
| | - Hongyan Yuan
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Soft Mechanics & Smart Manufacturing, Department of Mechanics and Aerospace Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China
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6
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Lou Y, Kawaue T, Yow I, Toyama Y, Prost J, Hiraiwa T. Interfacial friction and substrate deformation mediate long-range signal propagation in tissues. Biomech Model Mechanobiol 2022; 21:1511-1530. [PMID: 36057053 DOI: 10.1007/s10237-022-01603-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Tissue layers can generally slide at the interface, accompanied by the dissipation due to friction. Nevertheless, it remains elusive how force could propagate in a tissue with such interfacial friction. Here, we elaborate the force dynamics in a prototypical multilayer system in which an epithelial monolayer was cultivated upon an elastic substrate in contact with a hard surface, and discover a novel mechanism of pronounced force propagation over a long distance due to interfacial dynamics between substrate layers. We derived an analytical model for the dynamics of the elastic substrate under the shear stress provided by the cell layer at the surface boundary and the friction at bottom. The model reveals that sliding between substrate layers leads to an expanding stretch regime from a shear regime of substrate deformation in time and space. The regime boundary propagating diffusively with a speed depending on the stiffness, thickness, and slipperiness of the substrate, is a robust nature of a deformed elastic sheet with interfacial friction. These results shed new light on force propagation in tissues and our model could serve as a basis for studies of such propagation in a more complex tissue environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuting Lou
- Mechanobiology Institute, National University Singapore, queenstown, 100190, Singapore.
| | - Takumi Kawaue
- Mechanobiology Institute, National University Singapore, queenstown, 100190, Singapore
| | - Ivan Yow
- Mechanobiology Institute, National University Singapore, queenstown, 100190, Singapore
| | - Yusuke Toyama
- Mechanobiology Institute, National University Singapore, queenstown, 100190, Singapore
| | - Jacques Prost
- Mechanobiology Institute, National University Singapore, queenstown, 100190, Singapore
- Laboratoire Physico Chimie Curie, Institut Curie, Paris Science et Lettres Research University, CNRS UMR168, Paris, 75005, France
| | - Tetsuya Hiraiwa
- Mechanobiology Institute, National University Singapore, queenstown, 100190, Singapore.
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7
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Saghatchi R, Yildiz M, Doostmohammadi A. Nematic order condensation and topological defects in inertial active nematics. Phys Rev E 2022; 106:014705. [PMID: 35974636 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.106.014705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Living materials at different length scales manifest active nematic features such as orientational order, nematic topological defects, and active nematic turbulence. Using numerical simulations we investigate the impact of fluid inertia on the collective pattern formation in active nematics. We show that an incremental increase in inertial effects due to reduced viscosity results in gradual melting of nematic order with an increase in topological defect density before a discontinuous transition to a vortex-condensate state. The emergent vortex-condensate state at low enough viscosities coincides with nematic order condensation within the giant vortices and the drop in the density of topological defects. We further show flow field around topological defects is substantially affected by inertial effects. Moreover, we demonstrate the strong dependence of the kinetic energy spectrum on the inertial effects, recover the Kolmogorov scaling within the vortex-condensate phase, but find no evidence of universal scaling at higher viscosities. The findings reveal complexities in active nematic turbulence and emphasize the important cross-talk between active and inertial effects in setting flow and orientational organization of active particles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roozbeh Saghatchi
- Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Sabanci University, Tuzla 34956 Istanbul, Turkey; Integrated Manufacturing Technology Research & Application Center, Sabanci University, Tuzla 34956 Istanbul, Turkey; and Composite Technologies Center of Excellence, Sabanci University-Kordsa, Pendik 34906 Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Mehmet Yildiz
- Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Sabanci University, Tuzla 34956 Istanbul, Turkey; Integrated Manufacturing Technology Research & Application Center, Sabanci University, Tuzla 34956 Istanbul, Turkey; and Composite Technologies Center of Excellence, Sabanci University-Kordsa, Pendik 34906 Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Amin Doostmohammadi
- Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 17, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
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8
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Pi-Jaumà I, Alert R, Casademunt J. Collective durotaxis of cohesive cell clusters on a stiffness gradient. THE EUROPEAN PHYSICAL JOURNAL. E, SOFT MATTER 2022; 45:7. [PMID: 35072824 PMCID: PMC8786814 DOI: 10.1140/epje/s10189-021-00150-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Many types of motile cells perform durotaxis, namely directed migration following gradients of substrate stiffness. Recent experiments have revealed that cell monolayers can migrate toward stiffer regions even when individual cells do not-a phenomenon known as collective durotaxis. Here, we address the spontaneous motion of finite cohesive cell monolayers on a stiffness gradient. We theoretically analyze a continuum active polar fluid model that has been tested in recent wetting assays of epithelial tissues and includes two types of active forces (cell-substrate traction and cell-cell contractility). The competition between the two active forces determines whether a cell monolayer spreads or contracts. Here, we show that this model generically predicts collective durotaxis, and that it features a variety of dynamical regimes as a result of the interplay between the spreading state and the global propagation, including sequential contraction and spreading of the monolayer as it moves toward higher stiffness. We solve the model exactly in some relevant cases, which provides both physical insights into the mechanisms of tissue durotaxis and spreading as well as a variety of predictions that could guide the design of future experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina Pi-Jaumà
- Departament de Física de la Matèria Condensada, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 647, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat de Barcelona Institut of Complex Systems (UBICS), 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ricard Alert
- Princeton Center for Theoretical Science, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA
- Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Nöthnitzerst. 38, 01187, Dresden, Germany
- Center for Systems Biology Dresden, Pfotenhauerst. 108, 01307, Dresden, Germany
| | - Jaume Casademunt
- Departament de Física de la Matèria Condensada, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 647, 08028, Barcelona, Spain.
- Universitat de Barcelona Institut of Complex Systems (UBICS), 08028, Barcelona, Spain.
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9
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Chojowski R, Schwarz US, Ziebert F. Reversible elastic phase field approach and application to cell monolayers. THE EUROPEAN PHYSICAL JOURNAL. E, SOFT MATTER 2020; 43:63. [PMID: 33009970 DOI: 10.1140/epje/i2020-11988-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2020] [Accepted: 09/16/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Motion and generation of forces by single cells and cell collectives are essential elements of many biological processes, including development, wound healing and cancer cell migration. Quantitative wound healing assays have demonstrated that cell monolayers can be both dynamic and elastic at the same time. However, it is very challenging to model this combination with conventional approaches. Here we introduce an elastic phase field approach that allows us to predict the dynamics of elastic sheets under the action of active stresses and localized forces, e.g. from leader cells. Our method ensures elastic reversibility after release of forces. We demonstrate its potential by studying several paradigmatic situations and geometries relevant for single cells and cell monolayers, including elastic bars, contractile discs and expanding monolayers with leader cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Chojowski
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, Heidelberg University, D-69120, Heidelberg, Germany
- BioQuant, Heidelberg University, D-69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ulrich S Schwarz
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, Heidelberg University, D-69120, Heidelberg, Germany
- BioQuant, Heidelberg University, D-69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Falko Ziebert
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, Heidelberg University, D-69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
- BioQuant, Heidelberg University, D-69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
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10
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Prat‐Rojo C, Pouille P, Buceta J, Martin‐Blanco E. Mechanical coordination is sufficient to promote tissue replacement during metamorphosis in Drosophila. EMBO J 2020; 39:e103594. [PMID: 31858605 PMCID: PMC6996571 DOI: 10.15252/embj.2019103594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2019] [Revised: 11/30/2019] [Accepted: 12/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
During development, cells coordinate to organize in coherent structures. Although it is now well established that physical forces are essential for implementing this coordination, the instructive roles of mechanical inputs are not clear. Here, we show that the replacement of the larval epithelia by the adult one in Drosophila demands the coordinated exchange of mechanical signals between two cell types, the histoblasts (adult precursors) organized in nests and the surrounding larval epidermal cells (LECs). An increasing stress gradient develops from the center of the nests toward the LECs as a result of the forces generated by histoblasts as they proliferate and by the LECs as they delaminate (push/pull coordination). This asymmetric radial coordination of expansive and contractile activities contributes to epithelial replacement. Our analyses support a model in which cell-cell mechanical communication is sufficient for the rearrangements that implement epithelial morphogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla Prat‐Rojo
- Instituto de Biología Molecular de BarcelonaConsejo Superior de Investigaciones CientíficasParc Científic de BarcelonaBarcelonaSpain
- Present address:
Nikon Instruments Europe BVAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Philippe‐Alexandre Pouille
- Instituto de Biología Molecular de BarcelonaConsejo Superior de Investigaciones CientíficasParc Científic de BarcelonaBarcelonaSpain
| | - Javier Buceta
- Department of Bioengineering and Department of Chemical and Biomolecular EngineeringLehigh UniversityBethlehemPAUSA
| | - Enrique Martin‐Blanco
- Instituto de Biología Molecular de BarcelonaConsejo Superior de Investigaciones CientíficasParc Científic de BarcelonaBarcelonaSpain
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11
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Gauquelin E, Tlili S, Gay C, Peyret G, Mège RM, Fardin MA, Ladoux B. Influence of proliferation on the motions of epithelial monolayers invading adherent strips. SOFT MATTER 2019; 15:2798-2810. [PMID: 30888391 PMCID: PMC6457434 DOI: 10.1039/c9sm00105k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Biological systems integrate dynamics at many scales, from molecules, protein complexes and genes, to cells, tissues and organisms. At every step of the way, mechanics, biochemistry and genetics offer complementary approaches to understand these dynamics. At the tissue scale, in vitro monolayers of epithelial cells provide a model to capture the influence of various factors on the motions of the tissue, in order to understand in vivo processes from morphogenesis, cancer progression and tissue remodelling. Ongoing efforts include research aimed at deciphering the roles of the cytoskeleton, of cell-substrate and cell-cell adhesions, and of cell proliferation-the point we investigate here. We show that confined to adherent strips, and on the time scale of a day or two, monolayers move with a characteristic front speed independent of proliferation, but that the motion is accompanied by persistent velocity waves, only in the absence of cell divisions. Here we show that the long-range transmission of physical signals is strongly coupled to cell density and proliferation. We interpret our results from a kinematic and mechanical perspective. Our study provides a framework to understand density-driven mechanisms of collective cell migration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Estelle Gauquelin
- Institut Jacques Monod (IJM), Université Denis Diderot - Paris 7, CNRS UMR 7592, Paris 72505, France.
| | - Sham Tlili
- Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, 5A Engineering Drive 1, 117411, Singapore
| | - Cyprien Gay
- Laboratoire Matière et Systèmes Complexes, Université Denis Diderot - Paris 7, CNRS UMR 7057, Paris 72505, France
| | - Grégoire Peyret
- Institut Jacques Monod (IJM), Université Denis Diderot - Paris 7, CNRS UMR 7592, Paris 72505, France.
| | - René-Marc Mège
- Institut Jacques Monod (IJM), Université Denis Diderot - Paris 7, CNRS UMR 7592, Paris 72505, France.
| | - Marc A Fardin
- Institut Jacques Monod (IJM), Université Denis Diderot - Paris 7, CNRS UMR 7592, Paris 72505, France.
| | - Benoît Ladoux
- Institut Jacques Monod (IJM), Université Denis Diderot - Paris 7, CNRS UMR 7592, Paris 72505, France.
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12
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Alert R, Blanch-Mercader C, Casademunt J. Active Fingering Instability in Tissue Spreading. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2019; 122:088104. [PMID: 30932560 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.122.088104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2018] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
During the spreading of epithelial tissues, the advancing tissue front often develops fingerlike protrusions. Their resemblance to traditional viscous fingering patterns in driven fluids suggests that epithelial fingers could arise from an interfacial instability. However, the existence and physical mechanism of such a putative instability remain unclear. Here, based on an active polar fluid model for epithelial spreading, we analytically predict a generic instability of the tissue front. On the one hand, active cellular traction forces impose a velocity gradient that leads to an accelerated front, which is, thus, unstable to long-wavelength perturbations. On the other hand, contractile intercellular stresses typically dominate over surface tension in stabilizing short-wavelength perturbations. Finally, the finite range of hydrodynamic interactions in the tissue selects a wavelength for the fingering pattern, which is, thus, given by the smallest between the tissue size and the hydrodynamic screening length. Overall, we show that spreading epithelia experience an active fingering instability based on a simple kinematic mechanism. Moreover, our results underscore the crucial role of long-range hydrodynamic interactions in the dynamics of tissue morphology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricard Alert
- Departament de Física de la Matèria Condensada, Universitat de Barcelona, Avinguda Diagonal 647, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat de Barcelona Institute of Complex Systems (UBICS), Universitat de Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carles Blanch-Mercader
- Laboratoire Physico Chimie Curie, Institut Curie, PSL Research University, CNRS, 26 rue d'Ulm, 75005 Paris, France
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Geneva, 30, Quai Ernest-Ansermet, 1205 Genève, Switzerland
| | - Jaume Casademunt
- Departament de Física de la Matèria Condensada, Universitat de Barcelona, Avinguda Diagonal 647, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat de Barcelona Institute of Complex Systems (UBICS), Universitat de Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
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13
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Pérez-González C, Alert R, Blanch-Mercader C, Gómez-González M, Kolodziej T, Bazellieres E, Casademunt J, Trepat X. Active wetting of epithelial tissues. NATURE PHYSICS 2019; 15:79-88. [PMID: 31537984 PMCID: PMC6753015 DOI: 10.1038/s41567-018-0279-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Development, regeneration and cancer involve drastic transitions in tissue morphology. In analogy with the behavior of inert fluids, some of these transitions have been interpreted as wetting transitions. The validity and scope of this analogy are unclear, however, because the active cellular forces that drive tissue wetting have been neither measured nor theoretically accounted for. Here we show that the transition between two-dimensional epithelial monolayers and three-dimensional spheroidal aggregates can be understood as an active wetting transition whose physics differs fundamentally from that of passive wetting phenomena. By combining an active polar fluid model with measurements of physical forces as a function of tissue size, contractility, cell-cell and cell-substrate adhesion, and substrate stiffness, we show that the wetting transition results from the competition between traction forces and contractile intercellular stresses. This competition defines a new intrinsic lengthscale that gives rise to a critical size for the wetting transition in tissues, a striking feature that has no counterpart in classical wetting. Finally, we show that active shape fluctuations are dynamically amplified during tissue dewetting. Overall, we conclude that tissue spreading constitutes a prominent example of active wetting - a novel physical scenario that may explain morphological transitions during tissue morphogenesis and tumor progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Pérez-González
- Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia, The Barcelona Institute
for Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona 08028, Spain
- Facultat de Medicina, University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona,
Spain
| | - Ricard Alert
- Departament de Física de la Matèria Condensada,
Facultat de Física, University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
- University of Barcelona Institute of Complex Systems (UBICS), 08028
Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carles Blanch-Mercader
- Laboratoire Physico Chimie Curie, Institut Curie, PSL Research
University - Sorbonne Universités, UPMC CNRS, UMR 168, 26 rue d’Ulm,
F-75248 Paris Cedex 05, France
- Department of Biochemistry and NCCR Chemical Biology, Sciences II,
University of Geneva, Quai Ernest-Ansermet 30, Geneva, CH-1211, Switzerland
| | - Manuel Gómez-González
- Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia, The Barcelona Institute
for Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona 08028, Spain
| | - Tomasz Kolodziej
- Faculty of Physics, Astronomy and Applied Computer Science,
Jagiellonian University in Kraków, 30-348 Kraków, Poland
| | - Elsa Bazellieres
- Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia, The Barcelona Institute
for Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona 08028, Spain
| | - Jaume Casademunt
- Departament de Física de la Matèria Condensada,
Facultat de Física, University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
- University of Barcelona Institute of Complex Systems (UBICS), 08028
Barcelona, Spain
- Corresponding authors: Jaume Casademunt, PhD, Professor of
Physics, Depertment of Condensed Matter Physics (University of Barcelona -
UBICS), Martí i Franquès, 1, 08028, Barcelona, Spain, (+34) 934
021 188, ; Xavier Trepat, PhD, ICREA
Research Professor, Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia, Ed. Hèlix,
Baldiri i Reixac, 15-21, 08028, Barcelona, Spain, (+34) 934 020 265,
| | - Xavier Trepat
- Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia, The Barcelona Institute
for Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona 08028, Spain
- Facultat de Medicina, University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona,
Spain
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats
(ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en
Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina, 08028, Spain
- Corresponding authors: Jaume Casademunt, PhD, Professor of
Physics, Depertment of Condensed Matter Physics (University of Barcelona -
UBICS), Martí i Franquès, 1, 08028, Barcelona, Spain, (+34) 934
021 188, ; Xavier Trepat, PhD, ICREA
Research Professor, Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia, Ed. Hèlix,
Baldiri i Reixac, 15-21, 08028, Barcelona, Spain, (+34) 934 020 265,
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14
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Banerjee S, Marchetti MC. Continuum Models of Collective Cell Migration. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2019; 1146:45-66. [PMID: 31612453 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-17593-1_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Collective cell migration plays a central role in tissue development, morphogenesis, wound repair and cancer progression. With the growing realization that physical forces mediate cell motility in development and physiology, a key biological question is how cells integrate molecular activities for force generation on multicellular scales. In this review we discuss recent advances in modeling collective cell migration using quantitative tools and approaches rooted in soft matter physics. We focus on theoretical models of cell aggregates as continuous active media, where the feedback between mechanical forces and regulatory biochemistry gives rise to rich collective dynamical behavior. This class of models provides a powerful predictive framework for the physiological dynamics that underlies many developmental processes, where cells need to collectively migrate like a viscous fluid to reach a target region, and then stiffen to support mechanical stresses and maintain tissue cohesion.
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15
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Bogdan MJ, Savin T. Fingering instabilities in tissue invasion: an active fluid model. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2018; 5:181579. [PMID: 30662758 PMCID: PMC6304124 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.181579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2018] [Accepted: 11/20/2018] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Metastatic tumours often invade healthy neighbouring tissues by forming multicellular finger-like protrusions emerging from the cancer mass. To understand the mechanical context behind this phenomenon, we here develop a minimalist fluid model of a self-propelled, growing biological tissue. The theory involves only four mechanical parameters and remains analytically trackable in various settings. As an application of the model, we study the evolution of a two-dimensional circular droplet made of our active and expanding fluid, and embedded in a passive non-growing tissue. This system could be used to model the evolution of a carcinoma in an epithelial layer. We find that our description can explain the propensity of tumour tissues to fingering instabilities, as conditioned by the magnitude of active traction and the growth kinetics. We are also able to derive predictions for the tumour size at the onset of metastasis, and for the number of subsequent invasive fingers. Our active fluid model may help describe a wider range of biological processes, including wound healing and developmental patterning.
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16
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Saw TB, Xi W, Ladoux B, Lim CT. Biological Tissues as Active Nematic Liquid Crystals. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2018; 30:e1802579. [PMID: 30156334 DOI: 10.1002/adma.201802579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2018] [Revised: 06/11/2018] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Live tissues can self-organize and be described as active materials composed of cells that generate active stresses through continuous injection of energy. In vitro reconstituted molecular networks, as well as single-cell cytoskeletons show that their filamentous structures can portray nematic liquid crystalline properties and can promote nonequilibrium processes induced by active processes at the microscale. The appearance of collective patterns, the formation of topological singularities, and spontaneous phase transition within the cell cytoskeleton are emergent properties that drive cellular functions. More integrated systems such as tissues have cells that can be seen as coarse-grained active nematic particles and their interaction can dictate many important tissue processes such as epithelial cell extrusion and migration as observed in vitro and in vivo. Here, a brief introduction to the concept of active nematics is provided, and the main focus is on the use of this framework in the systematic study of predominantly 2D tissue architectures and dynamics in vitro. In addition how the nematic state is important in tissue behavior, such as epithelial expansion, tissue homeostasis, and the atherosclerosis disease state, is discussed. Finally, how the nematic organization of cells can be controlled in vitro for tissue engineering purposes is briefly discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thuan Beng Saw
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4 Engineering Drive 3, Engineering Block 4, #04-08, Singapore, 117583, Singapore
| | - Wang Xi
- Institut Jacques Monod (IJM), CNRS UMR 7592 and Université Paris Diderot, Paris, France
| | - Benoit Ladoux
- Institut Jacques Monod (IJM), CNRS UMR 7592 and Université Paris Diderot, Paris, France
- Mechanobiology Institute (MBI), National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117411, Singapore
| | - Chwee Teck Lim
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4 Engineering Drive 3, Engineering Block 4, #04-08, Singapore, 117583, Singapore
- Mechanobiology Institute (MBI), National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117411, Singapore
- Biomedical Institute for Global Health, Research and Technology (BIGHEART), National University of Singapore, MD6, 14 Medical Drive, #14-01, Singapore, 117599, Singapore
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17
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Czajkowski M, Bi D, Manning ML, Marchetti MC. Hydrodynamics of shape-driven rigidity transitions in motile tissues. SOFT MATTER 2018; 14:5628-5642. [PMID: 29938290 DOI: 10.1039/c8sm00446c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
In biological tissues, it is now well-understood that mechanical cues are a powerful mechanism for pattern regulation. While much work has focused on interactions between cells and external substrates, recent experiments suggest that cell polarization and motility might be governed by the internal shear stiffness of nearby tissue, deemed "plithotaxis". Meanwhile, other work has demonstrated that there is a direct relationship between cell shapes and tissue shear modulus in confluent tissues. Joining these two ideas, we develop a hydrodynamic model that couples cell shape, and therefore tissue stiffness, to cell motility and polarization. Using linear stability analysis and numerical simulations, we find that tissue behavior can be tuned between largely homogeneous states and patterned states such as asters, controlled by a composite "morphotaxis" parameter that encapsulates the nature of the coupling between shape and polarization. The control parameter is in principle experimentally accessible, and depends both on whether a cell tends to move in the direction of lower or higher shear modulus, and whether sinks or sources of polarization tend to fluidize the system.
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18
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Blanch-Mercader C, Yashunsky V, Garcia S, Duclos G, Giomi L, Silberzan P. Turbulent Dynamics of Epithelial Cell Cultures. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2018; 120:208101. [PMID: 29864293 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.120.208101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2017] [Revised: 02/12/2018] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
We investigate the large length and long time scales collective flows and structural rearrangements within in vitro human bronchial epithelial cell (HBEC) cultures. Activity-driven collective flows result in ensembles of vortices randomly positioned in space. By analyzing a large population of vortices, we show that their area follows an exponential law with a constant mean value and their rotational frequency is size independent, both being characteristic features of the chaotic dynamics of active nematic suspensions. Indeed, we find that HBECs self-organize in nematic domains of several cell lengths. Nematic defects are found at the interface between domains with a total number that remains constant due to the dynamical balance of nucleation and annihilation events. The mean velocity fields in the vicinity of defects are well described by a hydrodynamic theory of extensile active nematics.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Blanch-Mercader
- Laboratoire PhysicoChimie Curie, Institut Curie, PSL Research University-Sorbonne Université, UPMC-CNRS-Equipe labellisée Ligue Contre le Cancer, 75005 Paris, France
| | - V Yashunsky
- Laboratoire PhysicoChimie Curie, Institut Curie, PSL Research University-Sorbonne Université, UPMC-CNRS-Equipe labellisée Ligue Contre le Cancer, 75005 Paris, France
| | - S Garcia
- Laboratoire PhysicoChimie Curie, Institut Curie, PSL Research University-Sorbonne Université, UPMC-CNRS-Equipe labellisée Ligue Contre le Cancer, 75005 Paris, France
| | - G Duclos
- Laboratoire PhysicoChimie Curie, Institut Curie, PSL Research University-Sorbonne Université, UPMC-CNRS-Equipe labellisée Ligue Contre le Cancer, 75005 Paris, France
| | - L Giomi
- Instituut-Lorentz, Universiteit Leiden, P.O. Box 9506, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - P Silberzan
- Laboratoire PhysicoChimie Curie, Institut Curie, PSL Research University-Sorbonne Université, UPMC-CNRS-Equipe labellisée Ligue Contre le Cancer, 75005 Paris, France
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19
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Tlili S, Gauquelin E, Li B, Cardoso O, Ladoux B, Delanoë-Ayari H, Graner F. Collective cell migration without proliferation: density determines cell velocity and wave velocity. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2018; 5:172421. [PMID: 29892428 PMCID: PMC5990758 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.172421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2018] [Accepted: 03/23/2018] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Collective cell migration contributes to embryogenesis, wound healing and tumour metastasis. Cell monolayer migration experiments help in understanding what determines the movement of cells far from the leading edge. Inhibiting cell proliferation limits cell density increase and prevents jamming; we observe long-duration migration and quantify space-time characteristics of the velocity profile over large length scales and time scales. Velocity waves propagate backwards and their frequency depends only on cell density at the moving front. Both cell average velocity and wave velocity increase linearly with the cell effective radius regardless of the distance to the front. Inhibiting lamellipodia decreases cell velocity while waves either disappear or have a lower frequency. Our model combines conservation laws, monolayer mechanical properties and a phenomenological coupling between strain and polarity: advancing cells pull on their followers, which then become polarized. With reasonable values of parameters, this model agrees with several of our experimental observations. Together, our experiments and model disantangle the respective contributions of active velocity and of proliferation in monolayer migration, explain how cells maintain their polarity far from the moving front, and highlight the importance of strain-polarity coupling and density in long-range information propagation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sham Tlili
- Laboratoire Matière et Systèmes Complexes, Université Denis Diderot - Paris 7, CNRS UMR 7057, Condorcet building, 10 rue Alice Domon et Léonie Duquet, 75205 Paris Cedex 13, France
- Mechanobiology Institute, Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 5A Engineering Drive, 1, 117411 Singapore
| | - Estelle Gauquelin
- Institut Jacques Monod, Université Denis Diderot - Paris 7, CNRS UMR 7592, Buffon building, 15 rue Hélène Brion, 75205 Paris Cedex 13, France
| | - Brigitte Li
- Laboratoire Matière et Systèmes Complexes, Université Denis Diderot - Paris 7, CNRS UMR 7057, Condorcet building, 10 rue Alice Domon et Léonie Duquet, 75205 Paris Cedex 13, France
| | - Olivier Cardoso
- Laboratoire Matière et Systèmes Complexes, Université Denis Diderot - Paris 7, CNRS UMR 7057, Condorcet building, 10 rue Alice Domon et Léonie Duquet, 75205 Paris Cedex 13, France
| | - Benoît Ladoux
- Mechanobiology Institute, Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 5A Engineering Drive, 1, 117411 Singapore
- Institut Jacques Monod, Université Denis Diderot - Paris 7, CNRS UMR 7592, Buffon building, 15 rue Hélène Brion, 75205 Paris Cedex 13, France
| | - Hélène Delanoë-Ayari
- Univ. Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS UMR 5306, Institut Lumière Matière, Campus LyonTech - La Doua, Kastler building, 10 rue Ada Byron, 69622 Villeurbanne Cedex, France
| | - François Graner
- Laboratoire Matière et Systèmes Complexes, Université Denis Diderot - Paris 7, CNRS UMR 7057, Condorcet building, 10 rue Alice Domon et Léonie Duquet, 75205 Paris Cedex 13, France
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20
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Abstract
Epithelial cell monolayers exhibit traveling mechanical waves. We rationalize this observation thanks to a hydrodynamic description of the monolayer as a compressible, active and polar material. We show that propagating waves of the cell density, polarity, velocity and stress fields may be due to a Hopf bifurcation occurring above threshold values of active coupling coefficients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shunsuke Yabunaka
- Fukui Institute for Fundamental Chemistry, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
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