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Pajic-Lijakovic I, Milivojevic M. Collective durotaxis along a self-generated mobile stiffness gradient in vivo. Biosystems 2024; 237:105155. [PMID: 38367761 DOI: 10.1016/j.biosystems.2024.105155] [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: 11/29/2023] [Revised: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 02/19/2024]
Abstract
A crucial aspect of tissue self-organization during morphogenesis, wound healing, and cancer invasion is directed migration of cell collectives. The majority of in vivo directed migration has been guided by chemotaxis, whereby cells follow a chemical gradient. In certain situations, migrating cell collectives can also self-generate the stiffness gradient in the surrounding tissue, which can have a feedback effect on the directionality of the migration. The phenomenon has been observed during collective durotaxis in vivo. Along the biointerface between neighbouring tissues, heterotypic cell-cell interactions are the main cause of this self-generated stiffness gradient. The physical processes in charge of tissue self-organization along the biointerface, which are related to the interplay between cell signalling and the formation of heterotypic cell-cell adhesion contacts, are less well-developed than the biological mechanisms of the cellular interactions. This complex phenomenon is discussed here in the model system, such as collective migration of neural crest cells between ectodermal placode and mesoderm subpopulations within Xenopus embryos by pointing to the role of the dynamics along the biointerface between adjacent cell subpopulations on the subpopulation stiffness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivana Pajic-Lijakovic
- University of Belgrade, Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy, Department of Chemical Engineering, Karnegijeva 4, Belgrade, 11000, Serbia.
| | - Milan Milivojevic
- University of Belgrade, Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy, Department of Chemical Engineering, Karnegijeva 4, Belgrade, 11000, Serbia
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2
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Uppal G, Vural DC. On the possibility of engineering social evolution in microfluidic environments. Biophys J 2024; 123:407-419. [PMID: 38204167 PMCID: PMC10870175 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2024.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Many species of microbes cooperate by producing public goods from which they collectively benefit. However, these populations are under the risk of being taken over by cheating mutants that do not contribute to the pool of public goods. Here we present theoretical findings that address how the social evolution of microbes can be manipulated by external perturbations to inhibit or promote the fixation of cheaters. To control social evolution, we determine the effects of fluid-dynamical properties such as flow rate or domain geometry. We also study the social evolutionary consequences of introducing beneficial or harmful chemicals at steady state and in a time-dependent fashion. We show that by modulating the flow rate and by applying pulsed chemical signals, we can modulate the spatial structure and dynamics of the population in a way that can select for more or less cooperative microbial populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gurdip Uppal
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Division of Computational Pathology, Brigham and Women's hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Dervis Can Vural
- Department of Physics, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana.
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3
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Pajic-Lijakovic I, Milivojevic M. Physics of collective cell migration. EUROPEAN BIOPHYSICS JOURNAL : EBJ 2023; 52:625-640. [PMID: 37707627 DOI: 10.1007/s00249-023-01681-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2023] [Revised: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023]
Abstract
Movement of cell clusters along extracellular matrices (ECM) during tissue development, wound healing, and early stage of cancer invasion involve various inter-connected migration modes such as: (1) cell movement within clusters, (2) cluster extension (wetting) and compression (de-wetting), and (3) directional cluster movement. It has become increasingly evident that dilational and volumetric viscoelasticity of cell clusters and their surrounding substrate significantly influence these migration modes through physical parameters such as: tissue and matrix surface tensions, interfacial tension between cells and substrate, gradients of surface and interfacial tensions, as well as, the accumulation of cell and matrix residual stresses. Inhomogeneous distribution of tissue surface tension along the cell-matrix biointerface can appear as a consequence of different contractility of various cluster regions. While the directional cell migration caused by the matrix stiffness gradient (i.e., durotaxis) has been widely elaborated, the structural changes of matrix surface caused by cell tractions which lead to the generation of the matrix surface tension gradient has not been considered yet. The main goal of this theoretical consideration is to clarify the roles of various physical parameters in collective cell migration based on the formulation of a biophysical model. This complex phenomenon is discussed with the help of model systems such as the movement of cell clusters on a collagen I gel matrix, simultaneously reviewing various experimental data with and without cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivana Pajic-Lijakovic
- Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy, Belgrade University, Karnegijeva 4, Belgrade, Serbia.
| | - Milan Milivojevic
- Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy, Belgrade University, Karnegijeva 4, Belgrade, Serbia
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4
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Pajic-Lijakovic I, Eftimie R, Milivojevic M, Bordas SPA. Multi-scale nature of the tissue surface tension: Theoretical consideration on tissue model systems. Adv Colloid Interface Sci 2023; 315:102902. [PMID: 37086625 DOI: 10.1016/j.cis.2023.102902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Revised: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 04/24/2023]
Abstract
Tissue surface tension is one of the key parameters that govern tissue rearrangement, shaping, and segregation within various compartments during organogenesis, wound healing, and cancer diseases. Deeper insight into the relationship between tissue surface tension and cell residual stress accumulation caused by collective cell migration can help us to understand the multi-scale nature of cell rearrangement with pronounced oscillatory trend. Oscillatory change of cell velocity that caused strain and generated cell residual stress were discussed in the context of mechanical waves. The tissue surface tension also showed oscillatory behaviour. The main goal of this theoretical consideration is to emphasize an inter-relation between various scenarios of cell rearrangement and tissue surface tension by distinguishing liquid-like and solid-like surfaces. This complex phenomenon is discussed in the context of an artificial tissue model system, namely cell aggregate rounding after uni-axial compression between parallel plates. Experimentally obtained oscillatory changes in the cell aggregate shape during the aggregate rounding, which is accompanied by oscillatory decrease in the aggregate surface area, points to oscillatory changes in the tissue surface tension. Besides long-time oscillations, cell surface tension can perform short time relaxation cycles. This behaviour of the tissue surface tension distinguishes living matter from other soft matter systems. This complex phenomenon is discussed based on dilatational viscoelasticity and thermodynamic approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivana Pajic-Lijakovic
- University of Belgrade, Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy, Department of Chemical Engineering, Serbia.
| | - Raluca Eftimie
- Laboratoire Mathematiques de Besançon, UMR-CNRS 6623, Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comte, 16 Route de Gray, Besançon 25000, France
| | - Milan Milivojevic
- University of Belgrade, Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy, Department of Chemical Engineering, Serbia
| | - Stéphane P A Bordas
- Institute for Computational Engineering, Faculty of Science, Technology and Communication, University of Luxembourg, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg; Department of Medical Research, China Medical University Hospital, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
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5
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Saraswathibhatla A, Zhang J, Notbohm J. Coordination of contractile tension and cell area changes in an epithelial cell monolayer. Phys Rev E 2022; 105:024404. [PMID: 35291100 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.105.024404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
During tissue development and repair, cells contract and expand in coordination with their neighbors, giving rise to tissue deformations that occur on length scales far larger than that of a single cell. The biophysical mechanisms by which the contractile forces of each cell cause deformations on multicellular length scales are not fully clear. To investigate this question, we began with the principle of force equilibrium, which dictates a balance of tensile forces between neighboring cells. Based on this principle, we hypothesized that coordinated changes in cell area result from tension transmitted across the cell layer. To test this hypothesis, spatial correlations of both contractile tension and the divergence of cell velocities were measured as readouts of coordinated contractility and collective area changes, respectively. Experiments were designed to alter the spatial correlation of contractile tension using three different methods, including disrupting cell-cell adhesions, modulating the alignment of actomyosin stress fibers between neighboring cells, and changing the size of the cell monolayer. In all experiments, the spatial correlations of both tension and divergence increased or decreased together, in agreement with our hypothesis. To relate our findings to the intracellular mechanism connecting changes in cell area to contractile tension, we disrupted activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), which is known to mediate the intracellular relationship between cell area and contraction. Consistent with prior knowledge, a temporal cross-correlation between cell area and tension revealed that ERK was responsible for a proportional relationship between cell area and contraction. Inhibition of ERK activation reduced the spatial correlations of the divergence of cell velocity but not of tension. Together, our findings suggest that coordination of cell contraction and expansion requires transfer of cell tension over space and ERK-mediated coordination between cell area and contraction in time.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jun Zhang
- Department of Engineering Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
- Biophysics Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - Jacob Notbohm
- Department of Engineering Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
- Biophysics Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
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6
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Xu J, Xu X, Li X, He S, Li D, Ji B. Cellular mechanics of wound formation in single cell layer under cyclic stretching. Biophys J 2022; 121:288-299. [PMID: 34902328 PMCID: PMC8790211 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2021.12.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2021] [Revised: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Wounds can be produced when cells and tissues are subjected to excessive forces, for instance, under pathological conditions or nonphysiological loading. However, the cellular behaviors in the wound formation process are not clear. Here we tested the behaviors of wound formation in the epithelial layer with an in-suit uniaxial stretching device. We found that the wound often nucleates at the position where the cells are dividing. The polarization direction of cells near the wound is preferentially along the wound edge, whereas the cells far from the wound are preferentially perpendicular to the stretching direction. The larger the wound area is, the higher is the aspect ratio of the cells around the wound. Increasing the cell density will strengthen the cell layer. The higher the cell density is, the smaller is the area of the wounds, and the weaker is the effect of stretching on the polarization of the cells. Furthermore, we built a coarse-grained cell model that can explicitly consider the elasticity and viscoelasticity of cells, cell-cell interaction, and cell active stress, by which we simulated the wound formation process and quantitatively analyzed the force and stress fields in the cell layer, particularly around the wound. These analyses reveal the cellular mechanisms of wound formation behaviors in the cell layer under stretching and shed useful light on tissue engineering and regenerative medicine for biomedical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiayi Xu
- Department of Applied Mechanics, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China,Oujiang Laboratory, Zhejiang, Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou, China,Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiangyu Xu
- Department of Applied Mechanics, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China,Oujiang Laboratory, Zhejiang, Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou, China
| | - Xiaojun Li
- Department of Applied Mechanics, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Shijie He
- Center for Engineering in Medicine and Surgery, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Dechang Li
- Department of Engineering Mechanics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China,Corresponding author
| | - Baohua Ji
- Oujiang Laboratory, Zhejiang, Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou, China,Department of Engineering Mechanics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China,Corresponding author
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7
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Pajic-Lijakovic I, Milivojevic M. Multiscale nature of cell rearrangement caused by collective cell migration. EUROPEAN BIOPHYSICS JOURNAL: EBJ 2021; 50:1-14. [PMID: 33495939 DOI: 10.1007/s00249-021-01496-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2020] [Revised: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 01/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Collective cell migration (CCM), a highly coordinated and fine-tuned migratory mode, is involved in a plethora of biological processes, such as embryogenesis, tissue repair and cancer invasion. Although a good comprehension of how cells collectively migrate by following molecular rules has been generated, the impact of cellular rearrangements on collective migration remains less understood. Thus, considering CCM from a multi-scale quantitative approach could result in a powerful tool to address the contribution of cellular rearrangements in CCM and help to understand this important but still controversial topic. In this work, a review of existing literature in CCM modeling at different scales is given along with assortment of published experimental findings, to invite experimentalists to test given theoretical considerations in multicellular systems. In addition, three different time and space scales (free or weakly connected cells, cluster of cells and collision fronts of different cells clusters) are considered and the multi-scale nature of those processes was discussed with special emphasis of jamming and unjamming states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivana Pajic-Lijakovic
- Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy, Belgrade University, Karnegijeva 4, Belgrade, Serbia.
| | - Milan Milivojevic
- Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy, Belgrade University, Karnegijeva 4, Belgrade, Serbia
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8
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Buttenschön A, Edelstein-Keshet L. Bridging from single to collective cell migration: A review of models and links to experiments. PLoS Comput Biol 2020; 16:e1008411. [PMID: 33301528 PMCID: PMC7728230 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Mathematical and computational models can assist in gaining an understanding of cell behavior at many levels of organization. Here, we review models in the literature that focus on eukaryotic cell motility at 3 size scales: intracellular signaling that regulates cell shape and movement, single cell motility, and collective cell behavior from a few cells to tissues. We survey recent literature to summarize distinct computational methods (phase-field, polygonal, Cellular Potts, and spherical cells). We discuss models that bridge between levels of organization, and describe levels of detail, both biochemical and geometric, included in the models. We also highlight links between models and experiments. We find that models that span the 3 levels are still in the minority.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Buttenschön
- Department of Mathematics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
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9
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Saraswathibhatla A, Galles EE, Notbohm J. Spatiotemporal force and motion in collective cell migration. Sci Data 2020; 7:197. [PMID: 32581285 PMCID: PMC7314837 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-020-0540-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2020] [Accepted: 05/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Cells move in collective groups in biological processes such as wound healing, morphogenesis, and cancer metastasis. How active cell forces produce the motion in collective cell migration is still unclear. Many theoretical models have been introduced to elucidate the relationship between the cell's active forces and different observations about the collective motion such as collective swirls, oscillations, and rearrangements. Though many models share the common feature of balancing forces in the cell layer, the specific relationships between force and motion vary among the different models, which can lead to different conclusions. Simultaneous experimental measurements of force and motion can aid in testing assumptions and predictions of the theoretical models. Here, we provide time-lapse images of cells in 1 mm circular islands, which are used to compute cell velocities, cell-substrate tractions, and monolayer stresses. Additional data are included from experiments that perturbed cell number density and actomyosin contractility. We expect this data set to be useful to researchers interested in force and motion in collective cell migration.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Emmett E Galles
- Department of Engineering Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Jacob Notbohm
- Department of Engineering Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
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10
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Khataee H, Czirok A, Neufeld Z. Multiscale modelling of motility wave propagation in cell migration. Sci Rep 2020; 10:8128. [PMID: 32424155 PMCID: PMC7235313 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-63506-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2020] [Accepted: 03/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The collective motion of cell monolayers within a tissue is a fundamental biological process that occurs during tissue formation, wound healing, cancerous invasion, and viral infection. Experiments have shown that at the onset of migration, the motility is self-generated as a polarisation wave starting from the leading edge of the monolayer and progressively propagates into the bulk. However, it is unclear how the propagation of this motility wave is influenced by cellular properties. Here, we investigate this question using a computational model based on the Potts model coupled to the dynamics of intracellular polarisation. The model captures the propagation of the polarisation wave and suggests that the cells cortex can regulate the migration modes: strongly contractile cells may depolarise the monolayer, whereas less contractile cells can form swirling movement. Cortical contractility is further found to limit the cells motility, which (i) decelerates the wave speed and the leading edge progression, and (ii) destabilises the leading edge. Together, our model describes how different mechanical properties of cells can contribute to the regulation of collective cell migration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hamid Khataee
- School of Mathematics and Physics, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.
| | - Andras Czirok
- Department of Biological Physics, Eotvos University, Budapest, 1053, Hungary.,Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, 66160, USA
| | - Zoltan Neufeld
- School of Mathematics and Physics, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
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11
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Lin SZ, Bi D, Li B, Feng XQ. Dynamic instability and migration modes of collective cells in channels. J R Soc Interface 2019; 16:20190258. [PMID: 31362619 PMCID: PMC6685016 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2019.0258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2019] [Accepted: 07/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Migrating cells constantly experience geometrical confinements in vivo, as exemplified by cancer invasion and embryo development. In this paper, we investigate how intrinsic cellular properties and extrinsic channel confinements jointly regulate the two-dimensional migratory dynamics of collective cells. We find that besides external confinement, active cell motility and cell crowdedness also shape the migration modes of collective cells. Furthermore, the effects of active cell motility, cell crowdedness and confinement size on collective cell migration can be integrated into a unified dimensionless parameter, defined as the cellular motility number (CMN), which mirrors the competition between active motile force and passive elastic restoring force of cells. A low CMN favours laminar-like cell flows, while a high CMN destabilizes cell motions, resulting in a series of mode transitions from a laminar phase to an ordered vortex chain, and further to a mesoscale turbulent phase. These findings not only explain recent experiments but also predict dynamic behaviours of cell collectives, such as the existence of an ordered vortex chain mode and the mode selection under non-straight confinements, which are experimentally testable across different epithelial cell lines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shao-Zhen Lin
- Institute of Biomechanics and Medical Engineering, Applied Mechanics Laboratory, Department of Engineering Mechanics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People's Republic of China
| | - Dapeng Bi
- Department of Physics, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Bo Li
- Institute of Biomechanics and Medical Engineering, Applied Mechanics Laboratory, Department of Engineering Mechanics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People's Republic of China
| | - Xi-Qiao Feng
- Institute of Biomechanics and Medical Engineering, Applied Mechanics Laboratory, Department of Engineering Mechanics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People's Republic of China
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12
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Computational Modeling of Collective Cell Migration: Mechanical and Biochemical Aspects. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2019; 1146:1-11. [PMID: 31612450 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-17593-1_1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Collective cell migration plays key roles in various physiological and pathological processes in multicellular organisms, including embryonic development, wound healing, and formation of cancer metastases. Such collective migration involves complex crosstalk among cells and their environment at both biochemical and mechanical levels. Here, we review various computational modeling strategies that have been helpful in decoding the dynamics of collective cell migration. Most of such attempts have focused either aspect - mechanical or biochemical regulation of collective cell migration, and have yielded complementary insights. Finally, we suggest some possible ways to integrate these models to gain a more comprehensive understanding of collective cell migration.
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13
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Lin SZ, Ye S, Xu GK, Li B, Feng XQ. Dynamic Migration Modes of Collective Cells. Biophys J 2018; 115:1826-1835. [PMID: 30297134 PMCID: PMC6224637 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2018.09.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2018] [Revised: 08/24/2018] [Accepted: 09/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Collective cell migration occurs in a diversity of physiological processes such as wound healing, cancer metastasis, and embryonic morphogenesis. In the collective context, cohesive cells may move as a translational solid, swirl as a fluid, or even rotate like a disk, with scales ranging from several to dozens of cells. In this work, an active vertex model is presented to explore the regulatory roles of social interactions of neighboring cells and environmental confinements in collective cell migration in a confluent monolayer. It is found that the competition between two kinds of intercellular social interactions-local alignment and contact inhibition of locomotion-drives the cells to self-organize into various dynamic coherent structures with a spatial correlation scale. The interplay between this intrinsic length scale and the external confinement dictates the migration modes of collective cells confined in a finite space. We also show that the local alignment-contact inhibition of locomotion coordination can induce giant density fluctuations in a confluent cell monolayer without gaps, which triggers the spontaneous breaking of orientational symmetry and leads to phase separation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shao-Zhen Lin
- Institute of Biomechanics and Medical Engineering, Applied Mechanics Laboratory, Department of Engineering Mechanics, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Sang Ye
- Institute of Biomechanics and Medical Engineering, Applied Mechanics Laboratory, Department of Engineering Mechanics, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Guang-Kui Xu
- International Center for Applied Mechanics, State Key Laboratory for Strength and Vibration of Mechanical Structures, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Bo Li
- Institute of Biomechanics and Medical Engineering, Applied Mechanics Laboratory, Department of Engineering Mechanics, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
| | - Xi-Qiao Feng
- Institute of Biomechanics and Medical Engineering, Applied Mechanics Laboratory, Department of Engineering Mechanics, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
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14
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Engler AJ, Discher DE. Rationally engineered advances in cancer research. APL Bioeng 2018; 2:031601. [PMID: 31069310 PMCID: PMC6481711 DOI: 10.1063/1.5056176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2018] [Accepted: 09/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The physical and engineering sciences have much to offer in understanding, diagnosing, and even treating cancer. Microfluidics, imaging, materials, and diverse measurement devices are all helping to shift paradigms of tumorigenesis and dissemination. Using materials and micro-probes of elasticity, for example, epithelia have been shown to transform into mesenchymal cells when the elasticity of adjacent tissue increases. Approaches common in engineering science enable such discoveries, and further application of such tools and principles will likely improve existing cancer models in vivo and also create better models for high throughput analyses in vitro. As profiled in this special topic issue composed of more than a dozen manuscripts, opportunities abound for the creativity and analytics of engineering and the physical sciences to make advances in and against cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam J. Engler
- Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: . Telephone: 858-246-0678. Fax: 858-534-5722
| | - Dennis E. Discher
- Biophysical Engineering Labs, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
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