1
|
Kumar N, Rangel Ambriz J, Tsai K, Mim MS, Flores-Flores M, Chen W, Zartman JJ, Alber M. Balancing competing effects of tissue growth and cytoskeletal regulation during Drosophila wing disc development. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2477. [PMID: 38509115 PMCID: PMC10954670 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46698-7] [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: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
How a developing organ robustly coordinates the cellular mechanics and growth to reach a final size and shape remains poorly understood. Through iterations between experiments and model simulations that include a mechanistic description of interkinetic nuclear migration, we show that the local curvature, height, and nuclear positioning of cells in the Drosophila wing imaginal disc are defined by the concurrent patterning of actomyosin contractility, cell-ECM adhesion, ECM stiffness, and interfacial membrane tension. We show that increasing cell proliferation via different growth-promoting pathways results in two distinct phenotypes. Triggering proliferation through insulin signaling increases basal curvature, but an increase in growth through Dpp signaling and Myc causes tissue flattening. These distinct phenotypic outcomes arise from differences in how each growth pathway regulates the cellular cytoskeleton, including contractility and cell-ECM adhesion. The coupled regulation of proliferation and cytoskeletal regulators is a general strategy to meet the multiple context-dependent criteria defining tissue morphogenesis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nilay Kumar
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - Jennifer Rangel Ambriz
- Department of Mathematics, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
- Interdisciplinary Center for Quantitative Modeling in Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Kevin Tsai
- Department of Mathematics, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
- Interdisciplinary Center for Quantitative Modeling in Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Mayesha Sahir Mim
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - Marycruz Flores-Flores
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - Weitao Chen
- Department of Mathematics, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
- Interdisciplinary Center for Quantitative Modeling in Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Jeremiah J Zartman
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA.
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA.
| | - Mark Alber
- Department of Mathematics, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA.
- Interdisciplinary Center for Quantitative Modeling in Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Stillman NR, Mayor R. Generative models of morphogenesis in developmental biology. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2023; 147:83-90. [PMID: 36754751 PMCID: PMC10615838 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2023.02.001] [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: 12/20/2022] [Revised: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the mechanism by which cells coordinate their differentiation and migration is critical to our understanding of many fundamental processes such as wound healing, disease progression, and developmental biology. Mathematical models have been an essential tool for testing and developing our understanding, such as models of cells as soft spherical particles, reaction-diffusion systems that couple cell movement to environmental factors, and multi-scale multi-physics simulations that combine bottom-up rule-based models with continuum laws. However, mathematical models can often be loosely related to data or have so many parameters that model behaviour is weakly constrained. Recent methods in machine learning introduce new means by which models can be derived and deployed. In this review, we discuss examples of mathematical models of aspects of developmental biology, such as cell migration, and how these models can be combined with these recent machine learning methods.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Namid R Stillman
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
| | - Roberto Mayor
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK; Center for Integrative Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Universidad Mayor; Santiago, Chile Santiago, Chile..
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Cockerell A, Wright L, Dattani A, Guo G, Smith A, Tsaneva-Atanasova K, Richards DM. Biophysical models of early mammalian embryogenesis. Stem Cell Reports 2023; 18:26-46. [PMID: 36630902 PMCID: PMC9860129 DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2022.11.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Embryo development is a critical and fascinating stage in the life cycle of many organisms. Despite decades of research, the earliest stages of mammalian embryogenesis are still poorly understood, caused by a scarcity of high-resolution spatial and temporal data, the use of only a few model organisms, and a paucity of truly multidisciplinary approaches that combine biological research with biophysical modeling and computational simulation. Here, we explain the theoretical frameworks and biophysical processes that are best suited to modeling the early mammalian embryo, review a comprehensive list of previous models, and discuss the most promising avenues for future work.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alaina Cockerell
- Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK
| | - Liam Wright
- Department of Mathematics, University of Exeter, North Park Road, Exeter EX4 4QF, UK
| | - Anish Dattani
- Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK
| | - Ge Guo
- Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK
| | - Austin Smith
- Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK
| | - Krasimira Tsaneva-Atanasova
- Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK; Department of Mathematics, University of Exeter, North Park Road, Exeter EX4 4QF, UK; EPSRC Hub for Quantitative Modelling in Healthcare, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QJ, UK; Department of Bioinformatics and Mathematical Modelling, Institute of Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 105 Acad. G. Bonchev Street, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - David M Richards
- Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK; Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Exeter, North Park Road, Exeter EX4 4QL, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Kiani Shahvandi M, Soltani M, Moradi Kashkooli F, Saboury B, Rahmim A. Spatiotemporal multi-scale modeling of radiopharmaceutical distributions in vascularized solid tumors. Sci Rep 2022; 12:14582. [PMID: 36028541 PMCID: PMC9418261 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-18723-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
We present comprehensive mathematical modeling of radiopharmaceutical spatiotemporal distributions within vascularized solid tumors. The novelty of the presented model is at mathematical level. From the mathematical viewpoint, we provide a general modeling framework for the process of radiopharmaceutical distribution in the tumor microenvironment to enable an analysis of the effect of various tumor-related parameters on the distribution of different radiopharmaceuticals. We argue that partial differential equations (PDEs), beyond conventional methods, including ODE-based kinetic compartment modeling, can be used to evaluate radiopharmaceutical distribution in both time and space. In addition, we consider the spatially-variable dynamic structure of tumor microvascular networks to simulate blood flow distribution. To examine the robustness of the model, the effects of microvessel density (MVD) and tumor size, as two important factors in tumor prognosis, on the radiopharmaceutical distribution within the tumor are investigated over time (in the present work, we focus on the radiopharmaceutical [18F]FDG, yet the framework is broadly applicable to radiopharmaceuticals). Results demonstrate that the maximum total uptake of [18F]FDG at all time frames occurs in the tumor area due to the high capillary permeability and lack of a functional lymphatic system. As the MVD of networks increases, the mean total uptake in the tumor is also enhanced, where the rate of diffusion from vessel to tissue has the highest contribution and the rate of convection transport has the lowest contribution. The results of this study can be used to better investigate various phenomena and bridge a gap among cancer biology, mathematical oncology, medical physics, and radiology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - M Soltani
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, K. N. Toosi University of Technology, Tehran, Iran. .,Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada. .,Centre for Biotechnology and Bioengineering (CBB), University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada. .,Advanced Bioengineering Initiative Center, Multidisciplinary International Complex, K. N. Toosi University of Technology, Tehran, Iran.
| | | | - Babak Saboury
- Department of Radiology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.,Department of Integrative Oncology, BC Cancer Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Arman Rahmim
- Department of Integrative Oncology, BC Cancer Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada.,Departments of Radiology and Physics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Mechanical Regulation of Limb Bud Formation. Cells 2022; 11:cells11030420. [PMID: 35159230 PMCID: PMC8834596 DOI: 10.3390/cells11030420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Revised: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Early limb bud development has been of considerable interest for the study of embryological development and especially morphogenesis. The focus has long been on biochemical signalling and less on cell biomechanics and mechanobiology. However, their importance cannot be understated since tissue shape changes are ultimately controlled by active forces and bulk tissue rheological properties that in turn depend on cell-cell interactions as well as extracellular matrix composition. Moreover, the feedback between gene regulation and the biomechanical environment is still poorly understood. In recent years, novel experimental techniques and computational models have reinvigorated research on this biomechanical and mechanobiological side of embryological development. In this review, we consider three stages of early limb development, namely: outgrowth, elongation, and condensation. For each of these stages, we summarize basic biological regulation and examine the role of cellular and tissue mechanics in the morphogenetic process.
Collapse
|
6
|
Banwarth-Kuhn M, Sindi S. How and why to build a mathematical model: A case study using prion aggregation. J Biol Chem 2020; 295:5022-5035. [PMID: 32005659 PMCID: PMC7152750 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.rev119.009851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Biological systems are inherently complex, and the increasing level of detail with which we are able to experimentally probe such systems continually reveals new complexity. Fortunately, mathematical models are uniquely positioned to provide a tool suitable for rigorous analysis, hypothesis generation, and connecting results from isolated in vitro experiments with results from in vivo and whole-organism studies. However, developing useful mathematical models is challenging because of the often different domains of knowledge required in both math and biology. In this work, we endeavor to provide a useful guide for researchers interested in incorporating mathematical modeling into their scientific process. We advocate for the use of conceptual diagrams as a starting place to anchor researchers from both domains. These diagrams are useful for simplifying the biological process in question and distinguishing the essential components. Not only do they serve as the basis for developing a variety of mathematical models, but they ensure that any mathematical formulation of the biological system is led primarily by scientific questions. We provide a specific example of this process from our own work in studying prion aggregation to show the power of mathematical models to synergistically interact with experiments and push forward biological understanding. Choosing the most suitable model also depends on many different factors, and we consider how to make these choices based on different scales of biological organization and available data. We close by discussing the many opportunities that abound for both experimentalists and modelers to take advantage of collaborative work in this field.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mikahl Banwarth-Kuhn
- Department of Applied Mathematics, School of Natural Sciences, University of California, Merced, California 95343
| | - Suzanne Sindi
- Department of Applied Mathematics, School of Natural Sciences, University of California, Merced, California 95343
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Glimm T, Bhat R, Newman SA. Multiscale modeling of vertebrate limb development. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-SYSTEMS BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE 2020; 12:e1485. [PMID: 32212250 DOI: 10.1002/wsbm.1485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2019] [Revised: 02/14/2020] [Accepted: 02/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
We review the current state of mathematical modeling of cartilage pattern formation in vertebrate limbs. We place emphasis on several reaction-diffusion type models that have been proposed in the last few years. These models are grounded in more detailed knowledge of the relevant regulatory processes than previous ones but generally refer to different molecular aspects of these processes. Considering these models in light of comparative phylogenomics permits framing of hypotheses on the evolutionary order of appearance of the respective mechanisms and their roles in the fin-to-limb transition. This article is categorized under: Analytical and Computational Methods > Computational Methods Models of Systems Properties and Processes > Mechanistic Models Developmental Biology > Developmental Processes in Health and Disease Analytical and Computational Methods > Analytical Methods.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tilmann Glimm
- Department of Mathematics, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington
| | - Ramray Bhat
- Department of Molecular Reproduction, Development and Genetics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
| | - Stuart A Newman
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
A multi-scale model for determining the effects of pathophysiology and metabolic disorders on tumor growth. Sci Rep 2020; 10:3025. [PMID: 32080250 PMCID: PMC7033139 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-59658-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2019] [Accepted: 01/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The search for efficient chemotherapy drugs and other anti-cancer treatments would benefit from a deeper understanding of the tumor microenvironment (TME) and its role in tumor progression. Because in vivo experimental methods are unable to isolate or control individual factors of the TME and in vitro models often do not include all the contributing factors, some questions are best addressed with systems biology mathematical models. In this work, we present a new fully-coupled, agent-based, multi-scale mathematical model of tumor growth, angiogenesis and metabolism that includes important aspects of the TME spanning subcellular-, cellular- and tissue-level scales. The mathematical model is computationally implemented for a three-dimensional TME, and a double hybrid continuous-discrete (DHCD) method is applied to solve the governing equations. The model recapitulates the distinct morphological and metabolic stages of a solid tumor, starting with an avascular tumor and progressing through angiogenesis and vascularized tumor growth. To examine the robustness of the model, we simulated normal and abnormal blood conditions, including hyperglycemia/hypoglycemia, hyperoxemia/hypoxemia, and hypercarbia/hypocarbia - conditions common in cancer patients. The results demonstrate that tumor progression is accelerated by hyperoxemia, hyperglycemia and hypercarbia but inhibited by hypoxemia and hypoglycemia; hypocarbia had no appreciable effect. Because of the importance of interstitial fluid flow in tumor physiology, we also examined the effects of hypo- or hypertension, and the impact of decreased hydraulic conductivity common in desmoplastic tumors. The simulations show that chemotherapy-increased blood pressure, or reduction of interstitial hydraulic conductivity increase tumor growth rate and contribute to tumor malignancy.
Collapse
|
9
|
Mathematical modeling of chondrogenic pattern formation during limb development: Recent advances in continuous models. Math Biosci 2020; 322:108319. [PMID: 32001201 DOI: 10.1016/j.mbs.2020.108319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2019] [Revised: 01/17/2020] [Accepted: 01/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The phenomenon of chondrogenic pattern formation in the vertebrate limb is one of the best studied examples of organogenesis. Many different models, mathematical as well as conceptual, have been proposed for it in the last fifty years or so. In this review, we give a brief overview of the fundamental biological background, then describe in detail several models which aim to describe qualitatively and quantitatively the corresponding biological phenomena. We concentrate on several new models that have been proposed in recent years, taking into account recent experimental progress. The major mathematical tools in these approaches are ordinary and partial differential equations. Moreover, we discuss models with non-local flux terms used to account for cell-cell adhesion forces and a structured population model with diffusion. We also include a detailed list of gene products and potential morphogens which have been identified to play a role in the process of limb formation and its growth.
Collapse
|
10
|
Addressing Interdisciplinary Difficulties in Developmental Biology/Mathematical Collaborations: A Neural Crest Example. Methods Mol Biol 2019. [PMID: 30977062 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-9412-0_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register]
Abstract
Mathematical modeling can allow insight into the biological processes that can be difficult to access by conventional biological means alone. Such projects are becoming increasingly attractive with the appearance of faster and more powerful quantitative techniques in both biological data acquisition and data storage, manipulation, and presentation. However, as is frequent in interdisciplinary research, the main hurdles are not within the mindset and techniques of each discipline but are usually encountered in attempting to meld the different disciplines together. Based upon our experience in applying mathematical methods to investigate how neural crest cells interact to form the enteric nervous system, we present our views on how to pursue biomathematical modeling projects, what difficulties to expect, and how to overcome, or at least survive, these hurdles. The main advice being: persevere.
Collapse
|
11
|
Abstract
The complexity of morphogenesis poses a fundamental challenge to understanding the mechanisms governing the formation of biological patterns and structures. Over the past century, numerous processes have been identified as critically contributing to morphogenetic events, but the interplay between the various components and aspects of pattern formation have been much harder to grasp. The combination of traditional biology with mathematical and computational methods has had a profound effect on our current understanding of morphogenesis and led to significant insights and advancements in the field. In particular, the theoretical concepts of reaction–diffusion systems and positional information, proposed by Alan Turing and Lewis Wolpert, respectively, dramatically influenced our general view of morphogenesis, although typically in isolation from one another. In recent years, agent-based modeling has been emerging as a consolidation and implementation of the two theories within a single framework. Agent-based models (ABMs) are unique in their ability to integrate combinations of heterogeneous processes and investigate their respective dynamics, especially in the context of spatial phenomena. In this review, we highlight the benefits and technical challenges associated with ABMs as tools for examining morphogenetic events. These models display unparalleled flexibility for studying various morphogenetic phenomena at multiple levels and have the important advantage of informing future experimental work, including the targeted engineering of tissues and organs.
Collapse
|
12
|
Márquez-Flórez KM, Monaghan JR, Shefelbine SJ, Ramirez-Martínez A, Garzón-Alvarado DA. A computational model for the joint onset and development. J Theor Biol 2018; 454:345-356. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2018.04.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2017] [Revised: 04/05/2018] [Accepted: 04/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
|
13
|
Koyama H, Fujimori T. Biomechanics of epithelial fold pattern formation in the mouse female reproductive tract. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2018; 51:59-66. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2018.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2017] [Revised: 05/07/2018] [Accepted: 06/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
|
14
|
Newman SA, Glimm T, Bhat R. The vertebrate limb: An evolving complex of self-organizing systems. PROGRESS IN BIOPHYSICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2018; 137:12-24. [PMID: 29325895 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2018.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2017] [Revised: 01/03/2018] [Accepted: 01/04/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The paired appendages (fins or limbs) of jawed vertebrates contain an endoskeleton consisting of nodules, bars and, in some groups, plates of cartilage, or bone arising from replacement of cartilaginous templates. The generation of the endoskeletal elements occurs by processes involving production and diffusion of morphogens, with, variously, positive and negative feedback circuits, adhesion, and receptor dynamics with similarities to the mechanism for chemical pattern formation proposed by Alan Turing. This review presents a unified interpretation of the evolution and functioning of these mechanisms. Studies are described indicating that protocondensations, compacted mesenchymal cell aggregates that prefigure the appendicular skeleton, arise through the adhesive activity of galectin-1, a matricellular protein with skeletogenic homologs in all jawed vertebrates. In the cartilaginous and lobe-finned fishes (and to a variable extent in ray-finned fishes) it additionally cooperates with an isoform of galectin-8 to constitute a self-organizing network capable of generating arrays of preskeletal nodules, bars and plates. Further, in the tetrapods, a putative galectin-8 control module was acquired that may have enabled proximodistal increase in the number of protocondensations. In parallel to this, other self-organizing networks emerged that acted, via Bmp, Wnt, Sox9 and Runx2, as well as transforming factor-β and fibronectin, to convert protocondensations into skeletal tissues. The progressive appearance and integration of these skeletogenic networks over evolution occurred in the context of an independently evolved system of Hox protein and Shh gradients that interfaced with them to tune the spatial wavelengths and refine the identities of the resulting arrays of elements.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stuart A Newman
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, 10595, USA.
| | - Tilmann Glimm
- Department of Mathematics, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA, 98229, USA
| | - Ramray Bhat
- Department of Molecular Reproduction, Development and Genetics, Biological Sciences Division, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 560012, India
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Bialecki S, Kazmierczak B, Lipniacki T. Polarization of concave domains by traveling wave pinning. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0190372. [PMID: 29284045 PMCID: PMC5746273 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0190372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2017] [Accepted: 12/13/2017] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Pattern formation is one of the most fundamental yet puzzling phenomena in physics and biology. We propose that traveling front pinning into concave portions of the boundary of 3-dimensional domains can serve as a generic gradient-maintaining mechanism. Such a mechanism of domain polarization arises even for scalar bistable reaction-diffusion equations, and, depending on geometry, a number of stationary fronts may be formed leading to complex spatial patterns. The main advantage of the pinning mechanism, with respect to the Turing bifurcation, is that it allows for maintaining gradients in the specific regions of the domain. By linking the instant domain shape with the spatial pattern, the mechanism can be responsible for cellular polarization and differentiation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Slawomir Bialecki
- Institute of Fundamental Technological Research, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Bogdan Kazmierczak
- Institute of Fundamental Technological Research, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Tomasz Lipniacki
- Institute of Fundamental Technological Research, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
- Department of Statistics, Rice University, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Koyama H, Shi D, Suzuki M, Ueno N, Uemura T, Fujimori T. Mechanical Regulation of Three-Dimensional Epithelial Fold Pattern Formation in the Mouse Oviduct. Biophys J 2017; 111:650-665. [PMID: 27508448 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2016.06.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2015] [Revised: 06/06/2016] [Accepted: 06/28/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Epithelia exhibit various three-dimensional morphologies linked to organ function in animals. However, the mechanisms of three-dimensional morphogenesis remain elusive. The luminal epithelium of the mouse oviduct forms well-aligned straight folds along the longitudinal direction of the tubes. Disruption of the Celsr1 gene, a planar cell polarity-related gene, causes ectopically branched folds. Here, we evaluated the mechanical contributions of the epithelium to the fold pattern formation. In the mutant oviduct, the epithelium was more intricate along the longitudinal direction than in the wild-type, suggesting a higher ratio of the longitudinal length of the epithelial layer to that of the surrounding smooth muscle (SM) layer (L-Epi/SM ratio). Our mathematical modeling and computational simulations suggested that the L-Epi/SM ratio could explain the differences in fold branching between the two genotypes. Longitudinal epithelial tensions were increased in well-aligned folds compared with those in disorganized folds both in the simulations and in experimental estimations. Artificially increasing the epithelial tensions suppressed the branching in simulations, suggesting that the epithelial tensions can regulate fold patterning. The epithelial tensions could be explained by the combination of line tensions along the epithelial cell-cell boundaries with the polarized cell arrays observed in vivo. These results suggest that the fold pattern is associated with the polarized cell array through the longitudinal epithelial tension. Further simulations indicated that the L-Epi/SM ratio could contribute to fold pattern diversity, suggesting that the L-Epi/SM ratio is a critical parameter in the fold patterning in tubular organs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hiroshi Koyama
- Division of Embryology, National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki, Aichi, Japan; SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Hayama, Kanagawa, Japan.
| | - Dongbo Shi
- Division of Embryology, National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki, Aichi, Japan; Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Makoto Suzuki
- SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Hayama, Kanagawa, Japan; Division of Morphogenesis, National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki, Aichi, Japan
| | - Naoto Ueno
- SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Hayama, Kanagawa, Japan; Division of Morphogenesis, National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki, Aichi, Japan
| | - Tadashi Uemura
- Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan; CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kawaguchi, Saitama, Japan
| | - Toshihiko Fujimori
- Division of Embryology, National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki, Aichi, Japan; SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Hayama, Kanagawa, Japan; CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kawaguchi, Saitama, Japan.
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Hirashima T, Rens EG, Merks RMH. Cellular Potts modeling of complex multicellular behaviors in tissue morphogenesis. Dev Growth Differ 2017; 59:329-339. [DOI: 10.1111/dgd.12358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2017] [Accepted: 03/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tsuyoshi Hirashima
- Institute for Frontier Life and Medical Sciences Kyoto University 53 Kawahara, Shogoin, Sakyo‐ku Kyoto 606‐8507 Japan
| | - Elisabeth G. Rens
- Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica Life Sciences Group Science Park 123 1098 XG Amsterdam the Netherlands
- Mathematical Institute Leiden University Niels Bohrweg 1 2333 CA Leiden the Netherlands
| | - Roeland M. H. Merks
- Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica Life Sciences Group Science Park 123 1098 XG Amsterdam the Netherlands
- Mathematical Institute Leiden University Niels Bohrweg 1 2333 CA Leiden the Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Nematbakhsh A, Sun W, Brodskiy PA, Amiri A, Narciso C, Xu Z, Zartman JJ, Alber M. Multi-scale computational study of the mechanical regulation of cell mitotic rounding in epithelia. PLoS Comput Biol 2017; 13:e1005533. [PMID: 28531187 PMCID: PMC5460904 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2016] [Revised: 06/06/2017] [Accepted: 04/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Mitotic rounding during cell division is critical for preventing daughter cells from inheriting an abnormal number of chromosomes, a condition that occurs frequently in cancer cells. Cells must significantly expand their apical area and transition from a polygonal to circular apical shape to achieve robust mitotic rounding in epithelial tissues, which is where most cancers initiate. However, how cells mechanically regulate robust mitotic rounding within packed tissues is unknown. Here, we analyze mitotic rounding using a newly developed multi-scale subcellular element computational model that is calibrated using experimental data. Novel biologically relevant features of the model include separate representations of the sub-cellular components including the apical membrane and cytoplasm of the cell at the tissue scale level as well as detailed description of cell properties during mitotic rounding. Regression analysis of predictive model simulation results reveals the relative contributions of osmotic pressure, cell-cell adhesion and cortical stiffness to mitotic rounding. Mitotic area expansion is largely driven by regulation of cytoplasmic pressure. Surprisingly, mitotic shape roundness within physiological ranges is most sensitive to variation in cell-cell adhesivity and stiffness. An understanding of how perturbed mechanical properties impact mitotic rounding has important potential implications on, amongst others, how tumors progressively become more genetically unstable due to increased chromosomal aneuploidy and more aggressive.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ali Nematbakhsh
- Department of Applied and Computational Mathematics and Statistics, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, United States of America
- Department of Mathematics, University of California, Riverside, California, United States of America
| | - Wenzhao Sun
- Department of Applied and Computational Mathematics and Statistics, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Pavel A. Brodskiy
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Aboutaleb Amiri
- Department of Physics, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Cody Narciso
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Zhiliang Xu
- Department of Applied and Computational Mathematics and Statistics, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Jeremiah J. Zartman
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Mark Alber
- Department of Applied and Computational Mathematics and Statistics, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, United States of America
- Department of Mathematics, University of California, Riverside, California, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Lange A, Müller GB. Polydactyly in Development, Inheritance, and Evolution. QUARTERLY REVIEW OF BIOLOGY 2017; 92:1-38. [DOI: 10.1086/690841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
|
20
|
Allena R, Scianna M, Preziosi L. A Cellular Potts Model of single cell migration in presence of durotaxis. Math Biosci 2016; 275:57-70. [PMID: 26968932 DOI: 10.1016/j.mbs.2016.02.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2015] [Revised: 02/19/2016] [Accepted: 02/26/2016] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Cell migration is a fundamental biological phenomenon during which cells sense their surroundings and respond to different types of signals. In presence of durotaxis, cells preferentially crawl from soft to stiff substrates by reorganizing their cytoskeleton from an isotropic to an anisotropic distribution of actin filaments. In the present paper, we propose a Cellular Potts Model to simulate single cell migration over flat substrates with variable stiffness. We have tested five configurations: (i) a substrate including a soft and a stiff region, (ii) a soft substrate including two parallel stiff stripes, (iii) a substrate made of successive stripes with increasing stiffness to create a gradient and (iv) a stiff substrate with four embedded soft squares. For each simulation, we have evaluated the morphology of the cell, the distance covered, the spreading area and the migration speed. We have then compared the numerical results to specific experimental observations showing a consistent agreement.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- R Allena
- Arts et Metiers ParisTech, LBM/Institut de Biomecanique Humaine Georges Charpak, 151 bd de l'Hopital, 75013 Paris, France.
| | - M Scianna
- Dipartimento di Scienze Mathematiche, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Torino, Italy
| | - L Preziosi
- Dipartimento di Scienze Mathematiche, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Torino, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Gord A, Holmes WR, Dai X, Nie Q. Computational modelling of epidermal stratification highlights the importance of asymmetric cell division for predictable and robust layer formation. J R Soc Interface 2015; 11:rsif.2014.0631. [PMID: 25100322 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2014.0631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Skin is a complex organ tasked with, among other functions, protecting the body from the outside world. Its outermost protective layer, the epidermis, is comprised of multiple cell layers that are derived from a single-layered ectoderm during development. Using a new stochastic, multi-scale computational modelling framework, the anisotropic subcellular element method, we investigate the role of cell morphology and biophysical cell-cell interactions in the formation of this layered structure. This three-dimensional framework describes interactions between collections of hundreds to thousands of cells and (i) accounts for intracellular structure and morphology, (ii) easily incorporates complex cell-cell interactions and (iii) can be efficiently implemented on parallel architectures. We use this approach to construct a model of the developing epidermis that accounts for the internal polarity of ectodermal cells and their columnar morphology. Using this model, we show that cell detachment, which has been previously suggested to have a role in this process, leads to unpredictable, randomized stratification and that this cannot be abrogated by adjustment of cell-cell adhesion interaction strength. Polarized distribution of cell adhesion proteins, motivated by epithelial polarization, can however eliminate this detachment, and in conjunction with asymmetric cell division lead to robust and predictable development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Gord
- Center for Mathematical and Computational Biology, Department of Mathematics, University of California, Irvine, CA 92617, USA Center for Complex Biological Systems, University of California, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
| | - William R Holmes
- Center for Mathematical and Computational Biology, Department of Mathematics, University of California, Irvine, CA 92617, USA Center for Complex Biological Systems, University of California, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
| | - Xing Dai
- Center for Complex Biological Systems, University of California, Irvine, CA 92617, USA Department of Biological Chemistry, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
| | - Qing Nie
- Center for Mathematical and Computational Biology, Department of Mathematics, University of California, Irvine, CA 92617, USA Center for Complex Biological Systems, University of California, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Jeannin-Girardon A, Ballet P, Rodin V. Large Scale Tissue Morphogenesis Simulation on Heterogenous Systems Based on a Flexible Biomechanical Cell Model. IEEE/ACM TRANSACTIONS ON COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY AND BIOINFORMATICS 2015; 12:1021-1033. [PMID: 26451816 DOI: 10.1109/tcbb.2015.2418994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The complexity of biological tissue morphogenesis makes in silico simulations of such system very interesting in order to gain a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms ruling the development of multicellular tissues. This complexity is mainly due to two elements: firstly, biological tissues comprise a large amount of cells; secondly, these cells exhibit complex interactions and behaviors. To address these two issues, we propose two tools: the first one is a virtual cell model that comprise two main elements: firstly, a mechanical structure (membrane, cytoskeleton, and cortex) and secondly, the main behaviors exhibited by biological cells, i.e., mitosis, growth, differentiation, molecule consumption, and production as well as the consideration of the physical constraints issued from the environment. An artificial chemistry is also included in the model. This virtual cell model is coupled to an agent-based formalism. The second tool is a simulator that relies on the OpenCL framework. It allows efficient parallel simulations on heterogenous devices such as micro-processors or graphics processors. We present two case studies validating the implementation of our model in our simulator: cellular proliferation controlled by cell signalling and limb growth in a virtual organism.
Collapse
|
23
|
Sanga S, Sinek JP, Frieboes HB, Ferrari M, Fruehauf JP, Cristini V. Mathematical modeling of cancer progression and response to chemotherapy. Expert Rev Anticancer Ther 2014; 6:1361-76. [PMID: 17069522 DOI: 10.1586/14737140.6.10.1361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The complex, constantly evolving and multifaceted nature of cancer has made it difficult to identify unique molecular and pathophysiological signatures for each disease variant, consequently hindering development of effective therapies. Mathematical modeling and computer simulation are tools that can provide a robust framework to better understand cancer progression and response to chemotherapy. Successful therapeutic agents must overcome biological barriers occurring at multiple space and time scales and still reach targets at sufficient concentrations. A multiscale computer simulator founded on the integration of experimental data and mathematical models can provide valuable insights into these processes and establish a technology platform for analyzing the effectiveness of chemotherapeutic drugs, with the potential to cost-effectively and efficiently screen drug candidates during the drug-development process.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sandeep Sanga
- University of California, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Irvine, 3120, CA 92697-2715, USA.
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
24
|
Bodnár T, Fasano A, Sequeira A. Mathematical Models for Blood Coagulation. FLUID-STRUCTURE INTERACTION AND BIOMEDICAL APPLICATIONS 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-0348-0822-4_7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
|
25
|
Biased Polyphenism in Polydactylous Cats Carrying a Single Point Mutation: The Hemingway Model for Digit Novelty. Evol Biol 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/s11692-013-9267-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
|
26
|
Jeannin-Girardon A, Ballet P, Rodin V. A software architecture for multi-cellular system simulations on graphics processing units. Acta Biotheor 2013; 61:317-27. [PMID: 23900760 DOI: 10.1007/s10441-013-9187-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2012] [Accepted: 07/19/2013] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
The first aim of simulation in virtual environment is to help biologists to have a better understanding of the simulated system. The cost of such simulation is significantly reduced compared to that of in vivo simulation. However, the inherent complexity of biological system makes it hard to simulate these systems on non-parallel architectures: models might be made of sub-models and take several scales into account; the number of simulated entities may be quite large. Today, graphics cards are used for general purpose computing which has been made easier thanks to frameworks like CUDA or OpenCL. Parallelization of models may however not be easy: parallel computer programing skills are often required; several hardware architectures may be used to execute models. In this paper, we present the software architecture we built in order to implement various models able to simulate multi-cellular system. This architecture is modular and it implements data structures adapted for graphics processing units architectures. It allows efficient simulation of biological mechanisms.
Collapse
|
27
|
Kleinstreuer N, Dix D, Rountree M, Baker N, Sipes N, Reif D, Spencer R, Knudsen T. A computational model predicting disruption of blood vessel development. PLoS Comput Biol 2013; 9:e1002996. [PMID: 23592958 PMCID: PMC3616981 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1002996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2012] [Accepted: 01/24/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Vascular development is a complex process regulated by dynamic biological networks that vary in topology and state across different tissues and developmental stages. Signals regulating de novo blood vessel formation (vasculogenesis) and remodeling (angiogenesis) come from a variety of biological pathways linked to endothelial cell (EC) behavior, extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling and the local generation of chemokines and growth factors. Simulating these interactions at a systems level requires sufficient biological detail about the relevant molecular pathways and associated cellular behaviors, and tractable computational models that offset mathematical and biological complexity. Here, we describe a novel multicellular agent-based model of vasculogenesis using the CompuCell3D (http://www.compucell3d.org/) modeling environment supplemented with semi-automatic knowledgebase creation. The model incorporates vascular endothelial growth factor signals, pro- and anti-angiogenic inflammatory chemokine signals, and the plasminogen activating system of enzymes and proteases linked to ECM interactions, to simulate nascent EC organization, growth and remodeling. The model was shown to recapitulate stereotypical capillary plexus formation and structural emergence of non-coded cellular behaviors, such as a heterologous bridging phenomenon linking endothelial tip cells together during formation of polygonal endothelial cords. Molecular targets in the computational model were mapped to signatures of vascular disruption derived from in vitro chemical profiling using the EPA's ToxCast high-throughput screening (HTS) dataset. Simulating the HTS data with the cell-agent based model of vascular development predicted adverse effects of a reference anti-angiogenic thalidomide analog, 5HPP-33, on in vitro angiogenesis with respect to both concentration-response and morphological consequences. These findings support the utility of cell agent-based models for simulating a morphogenetic series of events and for the first time demonstrate the applicability of these models for predictive toxicology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Kleinstreuer
- National Center for Computational Toxicology, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - David Dix
- National Center for Computational Toxicology, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Michael Rountree
- National Center for Computational Toxicology, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Nancy Baker
- Lockheed-Martin, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Nisha Sipes
- National Center for Computational Toxicology, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - David Reif
- National Center for Computational Toxicology, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Richard Spencer
- Lockheed-Martin, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Thomas Knudsen
- National Center for Computational Toxicology, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Badugu A, Kraemer C, Germann P, Menshykau D, Iber D. Digit patterning during limb development as a result of the BMP-receptor interaction. Sci Rep 2012; 2:991. [PMID: 23251777 PMCID: PMC3524521 DOI: 10.1038/srep00991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2012] [Accepted: 11/30/2012] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Turing models have been proposed to explain the emergence of digits during limb development. However, so far the molecular components that would give rise to Turing patterns are elusive. We have recently shown that a particular type of receptor-ligand interaction can give rise to Schnakenberg-type Turing patterns, which reproduce patterning during lung and kidney branching morphogenesis. Recent knockout experiments have identified Smad4 as a key protein in digit patterning. We show here that the BMP-receptor interaction meets the conditions for a Schnakenberg-type Turing pattern, and that the resulting model reproduces available wildtype and mutant data on the expression patterns of BMP, its receptor, and Fgfs in the apical ectodermal ridge (AER) when solved on a realistic 2D domain that we extracted from limb bud images of E11.5 mouse embryos. We propose that receptor-ligand-based mechanisms serve as a molecular basis for the emergence of Turing patterns in many developing tissues.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amarendra Badugu
- Department for Biosystems Science and Engineering (D-BSSE) , ETH Zurich, Basel, Switzerland
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
29
|
Zhang YT, Alber MS, Newman SA. Mathematical modeling of vertebrate limb development. Math Biosci 2012; 243:1-17. [PMID: 23219575 DOI: 10.1016/j.mbs.2012.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2012] [Revised: 11/09/2012] [Accepted: 11/15/2012] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
In this paper, we review the major mathematical and computational models of vertebrate limb development and their roles in accounting for different aspects of this process. The main aspects of limb development that have been modeled include outgrowth and shaping of the limb bud, establishment of molecular gradients within the bud, and formation of the skeleton. These processes occur interdependently during development, although (as described in this review), there are various interpretations of the biological relationships among them. A wide range of mathematical and computational methods have been used to study these processes, including ordinary and partial differential equation systems, cellular automata and discrete, stochastic models, finite difference methods, finite element methods, the immersed boundary method, and various combinations of the above. Multiscale mathematical modeling and associated computational simulation have become integrated into the study of limb morphogenesis and pattern formation to an extent with few parallels in the field of developmental biology. These methods have contributed to the design and analysis of experiments employing microsurgical and genetic manipulations, evaluation of hypotheses for limb bud outgrowth, interpretation of the effects of natural mutations, and the formulation of scenarios for the origination and evolution of the limb skeleton.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yong-Tao Zhang
- Department of Applied and Computational Mathematics and Statistics, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
30
|
Xu Z, Kim O, Kamocka M, Rosen ED, Alber M. Multiscale models of thrombogenesis. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-SYSTEMS BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE 2012; 4:237-46. [PMID: 22246734 DOI: 10.1002/wsbm.1160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
To restrict the loss of blood follow from the rupture of blood vessels, the human body rapidly forms a clot consisting of platelets and fibrin. However, to prevent pathological clotting within vessels as a result of vessel damage, the response must be regulated. Clots forming within vessels (thrombi) can restrict the flow of blood causing damage to tissues in the flow field. Additionally, fragments dissociating from the primary thrombus (emboli) may lodge and clog vessels in the brain (causing ischemic stroke) or lungs (resulting in pulmonary embolism). Pathologies related to the obstruction of blood flow through the vasculature are the major cause of mortality in the United States. Venous thromboembolic disease alone accounts for 900,000 hospitalizations and 300,000 deaths per year and the incidence will increase as the population ages (Wakefield et al. J Vasc Surg 2009, 49:1620-1623). Thus, understanding the interplay between the many processes involved in thrombus development is of significant biomedical value. In this article, we first review computational models of important subprocesses of hemostasis/thrombosis including coagulation reactions, platelet activation, and fibrin assembly, respectively. We then describe several multiscale models integrating these subprocesses to simulate temporal and spatial development of thrombi. The development of validated computational models and predictive simulations will enable one to explore how the variation of multiple hemostatic factors affects thrombotic risk providing an important new tool for thrombosis research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhiliang Xu
- Department of Applied and Computational Mathematics and Statistics, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
31
|
GARZÓN-ALVARADO DIEGOA, VELASCO MARCOA, NARVÁEZ-TOVAR CARLOSA. SELF-ASSEMBLED SCAFFOLDS USING REACTION–DIFFUSION SYSTEMS: A HYPOTHESIS FOR BONE REGENERATION. J MECH MED BIOL 2011. [DOI: 10.1142/s021951941100396x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
One area of tissue engineering concerns research into alternatives for new bone formation and replacing its function. Scaffolds have been developed to meet this requirement, allowing cell migration, bone tissue growth, transport of growth factors and nutrients, and the improvement of the mechanical properties of bone. Scaffolds are made from different biomaterials and manufactured using several techniques that, in some cases, do not allow full control over the size and orientation of the pores characterizing the scaffold. A novel hypothesis that a reaction–diffusion (RD) system can be used for designing the geometrical specifications of the bone matrix is thus presented here. The hypothesis was evaluated by making simulations in two- and three-dimensional RD systems in conjunction with the biomaterial scaffold. The results showed the methodology's effectiveness in controlling features such as the percentage of porosity, size, orientation, and interconnectivity of pores in an injectable bone matrix produced by the proposed hypothesis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- DIEGO A. GARZÓN-ALVARADO
- Engineering Modeling and Numerical Methods Group National University of Colombia Cra 30 No. 45-03, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - MARCO A. VELASCO
- Mechanical Engineering Applications and Research Group, Santo Tomás University, Cra 9 No. 51-11, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - CARLOS A. NARVÁEZ-TOVAR
- Mechanical Engineering Applications and Research Group, Santo Tomás University, Cra 9 No. 51-11, Bogotá, Colombia
- Engineering Modeling and Numerical Methods Group, National University of Colombia, Cra 30 No. 45-03, Bogotá, Colombia
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Mogilner A, Odde D. Modeling cellular processes in 3D. Trends Cell Biol 2011; 21:692-700. [PMID: 22036197 DOI: 10.1016/j.tcb.2011.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2011] [Revised: 09/23/2011] [Accepted: 09/23/2011] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Abstract
Recent advances in photonic imaging and fluorescent protein technology offer unprecedented views of molecular space-time dynamics in living cells. At the same time, advances in computing hardware and software enable modeling of ever more complex systems, from global climate to cell division. As modeling and experiment become more closely integrated we must address the issue of modeling cellular processes in 3D. Here, we highlight recent advances related to 3D modeling in cell biology. While some processes require full 3D analysis, we suggest that others are more naturally described in 2D or 1D. Keeping the dimensionality as low as possible reduces computational time and makes models more intuitively comprehensible; however, the ability to test full 3D models will build greater confidence in models generally and remains an important emerging area of cell biological modeling.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alex Mogilner
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
| | | |
Collapse
|
33
|
Das A, Botchwey E. Evaluation of angiogenesis and osteogenesis. TISSUE ENGINEERING PART B-REVIEWS 2011; 17:403-14. [PMID: 21902609 DOI: 10.1089/ten.teb.2011.0190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Bone regeneration has long been a major focus for tissue engineers and the importance of vascularization to the bone regeneration process has been well documented. Over the past decade, technological advances in the areas of stem cell biology, scaffold fabrication, and protein engineering have significantly enhanced our understanding of the interplay between vascularization and bone growth. This review, therefore, describes the commonly used models for investigating the complex interactions between osteoblastic cells and endothelial cells, evaluates the different tools utilized to investigate the relationship between vascularization and bone growth in vivo, and finally, summarizes possible areas of research related to therapeutic development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anusuya Das
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
34
|
Maus C, Rybacki S, Uhrmacher AM. Rule-based multi-level modeling of cell biological systems. BMC SYSTEMS BIOLOGY 2011; 5:166. [PMID: 22005019 PMCID: PMC3306009 DOI: 10.1186/1752-0509-5-166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2011] [Accepted: 10/17/2011] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Proteins, individual cells, and cell populations denote different levels of an organizational hierarchy, each of which with its own dynamics. Multi-level modeling is concerned with describing a system at these different levels and relating their dynamics. Rule-based modeling has increasingly attracted attention due to enabling a concise and compact description of biochemical systems. In addition, it allows different methods for model analysis, since more than one semantics can be defined for the same syntax. RESULTS Multi-level modeling implies the hierarchical nesting of model entities and explicit support for downward and upward causation between different levels. Concepts to support multi-level modeling in a rule-based language are identified. To those belong rule schemata, hierarchical nesting of species, assigning attributes and solutions to species at each level and preserving content of nested species while applying rules. Further necessities are the ability to apply rules and flexibly define reaction rate kinetics and constraints on nested species as well as species that are nested within others. An example model is presented that analyses the interplay of an intracellular control circuit with states at cell level, its relation to cell division, and connections to intercellular communication within a population of cells. The example is described in ML-Rules - a rule-based multi-level approach that has been realized within the plug-in-based modeling and simulation framework JAMES II. CONCLUSIONS Rule-based languages are a suitable starting point for developing a concise and compact language for multi-level modeling of cell biological systems. The combination of nesting species, assigning attributes, and constraining reactions according to these attributes is crucial in achieving the desired expressiveness. Rule schemata allow a concise and compact description of complex models. As a result, the presented approach facilitates developing and maintaining multi-level models that, for instance, interrelate intracellular and intercellular dynamics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carsten Maus
- University of Rostock, Institute of Computer Science, Albert-Einstein-Str. 22, 18059 Rostock, Germany
| | - Stefan Rybacki
- University of Rostock, Institute of Computer Science, Albert-Einstein-Str. 22, 18059 Rostock, Germany
| | - Adelinde M Uhrmacher
- University of Rostock, Institute of Computer Science, Albert-Einstein-Str. 22, 18059 Rostock, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Larson DE, Johnson RI, Swat M, Cordero JB, Glazier JA, Cagan RL. Computer simulation of cellular patterning within the Drosophila pupal eye. PLoS Comput Biol 2010; 6:e1000841. [PMID: 20617161 PMCID: PMC2895643 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2009] [Accepted: 05/28/2010] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
We present a computer simulation and associated experimental validation of assembly of glial-like support cells into the interweaving hexagonal lattice that spans the Drosophila pupal eye. This process of cell movements organizes the ommatidial array into a functional pattern. Unlike earlier simulations that focused on the arrangements of cells within individual ommatidia, here we examine the local movements that lead to large-scale organization of the emerging eye field. Simulations based on our experimental observations of cell adhesion, cell death, and cell movement successfully patterned a tracing of an emerging wild-type pupal eye. Surprisingly, altering cell adhesion had only a mild effect on patterning, contradicting our previous hypothesis that the patterning was primarily the result of preferential adhesion between IRM-class surface proteins. Instead, our simulations highlighted the importance of programmed cell death (PCD) as well as a previously unappreciated variable: the expansion of cells' apical surface areas, which promoted rearrangement of neighboring cells. We tested this prediction experimentally by preventing expansion in the apical area of individual cells: patterning was disrupted in a manner predicted by our simulations. Our work demonstrates the value of combining computer simulation with in vivo experiments to uncover novel mechanisms that are perpetuated throughout the eye field. It also demonstrates the utility of the Glazier-Graner-Hogeweg model (GGH) for modeling the links between local cellular interactions and emergent properties of developing epithelia as well as predicting unanticipated results in vivo.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David E. Larson
- The Genome Center at Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Ruth I. Johnson
- Department of Developmental and Regenerative Biology, Mount Sinai Medical School, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Maciej Swat
- Biocomplexity Institute and Department of Physics, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Julia B. Cordero
- The Beatson Institute for Cancer Research, Colorectal Cancer and Wnt Signaling Group, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - James A. Glazier
- Biocomplexity Institute and Department of Physics, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Ross L. Cagan
- Department of Developmental and Regenerative Biology, Mount Sinai Medical School, New York, New York, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Das A, Lauffenburger D, Asada H, Kamm RD. A hybrid continuum-discrete modelling approach to predict and control angiogenesis: analysis of combinatorial growth factor and matrix effects on vessel-sprouting morphology. PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. SERIES A, MATHEMATICAL, PHYSICAL, AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES 2010; 368:2937-2960. [PMID: 20478915 DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2010.0085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Angiogenesis is crucial during many physiological processes and is influenced by various biochemical and biomechanical factors. Models have proved useful in understanding the mechanisms of angiogenesis and also the characteristics of the capillaries formed as part of the process. We have developed a three-dimensional hybrid, agent-field model where individual cells are modelled as sprout-forming agents in a matrix field. Cell independence, cell-cell communication and stochastic cell response are integral parts of the model. The model simulations incorporate probabilities of an individual cell to transition into one of four stages--quiescence, proliferation, migration and apoptosis. We demonstrate that several features, such as continuous sprouts, cell clustering and branching, that are observed in microfluidic experiments conducted under controlled conditions using few angiogenic factors can be reproduced by this model. We also identify the transition probabilities that result in specific sprout characteristics such as long continuous sprouts and specific branching patterns. Thus, this model can be used to cluster sprout morphology as a function of various influencing factors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anusuya Das
- Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
37
|
Zhu J, Zhang YT, Alber MS, Newman SA. Bare bones pattern formation: a core regulatory network in varying geometries reproduces major features of vertebrate limb development and evolution. PLoS One 2010; 5:e10892. [PMID: 20531940 PMCID: PMC2878345 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0010892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2010] [Accepted: 05/07/2010] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Major unresolved questions regarding vertebrate limb development concern how the numbers of skeletal elements along the proximodistal (P-D) and anteroposterior (A-P) axes are determined and how the shape of a growing limb affects skeletal element formation. There is currently no generally accepted model for these patterning processes, but recent work on cartilage development (chondrogenesis) indicates that precartilage tissue self-organizes into nodular patterns by cell-molecular circuitry with local auto-activating and lateral inhibitory (LALI) properties. This process is played out in the developing limb in the context of a gradient of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) emanating from the apical ectodermal ridge (AER). RESULTS We have simulated the behavior of the core chondrogenic mechanism of the developing limb in the presence of an FGF gradient using a novel computational environment that permits simulation of LALI systems in domains of varying shape and size. The model predicts the normal proximodistal pattern of skeletogenesis as well as distal truncations resulting from AER removal. Modifications of the model's parameters corresponding to plausible effects of Hox proteins and formins, and of the reshaping of the model limb, bud yielded simulated phenotypes resembling mutational and experimental variants of the limb. Hypothetical developmental scenarios reproduce skeletal morphologies with features of fossil limbs. CONCLUSIONS The limb chondrogenic regulatory system operating in the presence of a gradient has an inherent, robust propensity to form limb-like skeletal structures. The bare bones framework can accommodate ancillary gene regulatory networks controlling limb bud shaping and establishment of Hox expression domains. This mechanism accounts for major features of the normal limb pattern and, under variant geometries and different parameter values, those of experimentally manipulated, genetically aberrant and evolutionary early forms, with no requirement for an independent system of positional information.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jianfeng Zhu
- Department of Mathematics, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Yong-Tao Zhang
- Department of Mathematics, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Mark S. Alber
- Department of Mathematics, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, United States of America
- Center for the Study of Biocomplexity, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Stuart A. Newman
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Poplawski NJ, Shirinifard A, Agero U, Gens JS, Swat M, Glazier JA. Front instabilities and invasiveness of simulated 3D avascular tumors. PLoS One 2010; 5:e10641. [PMID: 20520818 PMCID: PMC2877086 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0010641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2009] [Accepted: 04/13/2010] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
We use the Glazier-Graner-Hogeweg model to simulate three-dimensional (3D), single-phenotype, avascular tumors growing in an homogeneous tissue matrix (TM) supplying a single limiting nutrient. We study the effects of two parameters on tumor morphology: a diffusion-limitation parameter defined as the ratio of the tumor-substrate consumption rate to the substrate-transport rate, and the tumor-TM surface tension. This initial model omits necrosis and oxidative/hypoxic metabolism effects, which can further influence tumor morphology, but our simplified model still shows significant parameter dependencies. The diffusion-limitation parameter determines whether the growing solid tumor develops a smooth (noninvasive) or fingered (invasive) interface, as in our earlier two-dimensional (2D) simulations. The sensitivity of 3D tumor morphology to tumor-TM surface tension increases with the size of the diffusion-limitation parameter, as in 2D. The 3D results are unexpectedly close to those in 2D. Our results therefore may justify using simpler 2D simulations of tumor growth, instead of more realistic but more computationally expensive 3D simulations. While geometrical artifacts mean that 2D sections of connected 3D tumors may be disconnected, the morphologies of 3D simulated tumors nevertheless correlate with the morphologies of their 2D sections, especially for low-surface-tension tumors, allowing the use of 2D sections to partially reconstruct medically-important 3D-tumor structures.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nikodem J Poplawski
- Biocomplexity Institute and Department of Physics, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA.
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
39
|
Edelman LB, Chandrasekaran S, Price ND. Systems biology of embryogenesis. Reprod Fertil Dev 2010; 22:98-105. [PMID: 20003850 DOI: 10.1071/rd09215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The development of a complete organism from a single cell involves extraordinarily complex orchestration of biological processes that vary intricately across space and time. Systems biology seeks to describe how all elements of a biological system interact in order to understand, model and ultimately predict aspects of emergent biological processes. Embryogenesis represents an extraordinary opportunity (and challenge) for the application of systems biology. Systems approaches have already been used successfully to study various aspects of development, from complex intracellular networks to four-dimensional models of organogenesis. Going forward, great advancements and discoveries can be expected from systems approaches applied to embryogenesis and developmental biology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lucas B Edelman
- Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
40
|
Hunt CA, Ropella GEP, Lam TN, Tang J, Kim SHJ, Engelberg JA, Sheikh-Bahaei S. At the biological modeling and simulation frontier. Pharm Res 2009; 26:2369-400. [PMID: 19756975 PMCID: PMC2763179 DOI: 10.1007/s11095-009-9958-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2009] [Accepted: 08/13/2009] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
We provide a rationale for and describe examples of synthetic modeling and simulation (M&S) of biological systems. We explain how synthetic methods are distinct from familiar inductive methods. Synthetic M&S is a means to better understand the mechanisms that generate normal and disease-related phenomena observed in research, and how compounds of interest interact with them to alter phenomena. An objective is to build better, working hypotheses of plausible mechanisms. A synthetic model is an extant hypothesis: execution produces an observable mechanism and phenomena. Mobile objects representing compounds carry information enabling components to distinguish between them and react accordingly when different compounds are studied simultaneously. We argue that the familiar inductive approaches contribute to the general inefficiencies being experienced by pharmaceutical R&D, and that use of synthetic approaches accelerates and improves R&D decision-making and thus the drug development process. A reason is that synthetic models encourage and facilitate abductive scientific reasoning, a primary means of knowledge creation and creative cognition. When synthetic models are executed, we observe different aspects of knowledge in action from different perspectives. These models can be tuned to reflect differences in experimental conditions and individuals, making translational research more concrete while moving us closer to personalized medicine.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C Anthony Hunt
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
41
|
Popławski NJ, Agero U, Gens JS, Swat M, Glazier JA, Anderson ARA. Front instabilities and invasiveness of simulated avascular tumors. Bull Math Biol 2009; 71:1189-227. [PMID: 19234746 PMCID: PMC2739624 DOI: 10.1007/s11538-009-9399-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2008] [Accepted: 01/15/2009] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
We study the interface morphology of a 2D simulation of an avascular tumor composed of identical cells growing in an homogeneous healthy tissue matrix (TM), in order to understand the origin of the morphological changes often observed during real tumor growth. We use the Glazier-Graner-Hogeweg model, which treats tumor cells as extended, deformable objects, to study the effects of two parameters: a dimensionless diffusion-limitation parameter defined as the ratio of the tumor consumption rate to the substrate transport rate, and the tumor-TM surface tension. We model TM as a nondiffusing field, neglecting the TM pressure and haptotactic repulsion acting on a real growing tumor; thus, our model is appropriate for studying tumors with highly motile cells, e.g., gliomas. We show that the diffusion-limitation parameter determines whether the growing tumor develops a smooth (noninvasive) or fingered (invasive) interface, and that the sensitivity of tumor morphology to tumor-TM surface tension increases with the size of the dimensionless diffusion-limitation parameter. For large diffusion-limitation parameters, we find a transition (missed in previous work) between dendritic structures, produced when tumor-TM surface tension is high, and seaweed-like structures, produced when tumor-TM surface tension is low. This observation leads to a direct analogy between the mathematics and dynamics of tumors and those observed in nonbiological directional solidification. Our results are also consistent with the biological observation that hypoxia promotes invasive growth of tumor cells by inducing higher levels of receptors for scatter factors that weaken cell-cell adhesion and increase cell motility. These findings suggest that tumor morphology may have value in predicting the efficiency of antiangiogenic therapy in individual patients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nikodem J. Popławski
- Biocomplexity Institute and Department of Physics, Indiana University, Simon Hall 047, 212 South Hawthorne Drive, Bloomington, Indiana 47405-7105, USA
| | - Ubirajara Agero
- Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Caixa Postal 702, Belo Horizonte, CEP 31.270-901, Brazil
| | - J. Scott Gens
- Biocomplexity Institute and Department of Physics, Indiana University, Simon Hall 047, 212 South Hawthorne Drive, Bloomington, Indiana 47405-7105, USA
| | - Maciej Swat
- Biocomplexity Institute and Department of Physics, Indiana University, Simon Hall 047, 212 South Hawthorne Drive, Bloomington, Indiana 47405-7105, USA
| | - James A. Glazier
- Biocomplexity Institute and Department of Physics, Indiana University, Simon Hall 047, 212 South Hawthorne Drive, Bloomington, Indiana 47405-7105, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
42
|
Lushnikov PM, Chen N, Alber M. Macroscopic dynamics of biological cells interacting via chemotaxis and direct contact. PHYSICAL REVIEW. E, STATISTICAL, NONLINEAR, AND SOFT MATTER PHYSICS 2008; 78:061904. [PMID: 19256865 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.78.061904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2008] [Revised: 10/12/2008] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
A connection is established between discrete stochastic model describing microscopic motion of fluctuating cells, and macroscopic equations describing dynamics of cellular density. Cells move towards chemical gradient (process called chemotaxis) with their shapes randomly fluctuating. Nonlinear diffusion equation is derived from microscopic dynamics in dimensions one and two using excluded volume approach. Nonlinear diffusion coefficient depends on cellular volume fraction and it is demonstrated to prevent collapse of cellular density. A very good agreement is shown between Monte Carlo simulations of the microscopic cellular Potts model and numerical solutions of the macroscopic equations for relatively large cellular volume fractions. Combination of microscopic and macroscopic models were used to simulate growth of structures similar to early vascular networks.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pavel M Lushnikov
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, USA.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
43
|
Morishita Y, Iwasa Y. Growth based morphogenesis of vertebrate limb bud. Bull Math Biol 2008; 70:1957-78. [PMID: 18668295 PMCID: PMC2792361 DOI: 10.1007/s11538-008-9334-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2007] [Accepted: 04/29/2008] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Many genes and their regulatory relationships are involved in developmental phenomena. However, by chemical information alone, we cannot fully understand changing organ morphologies through tissue growth because deformation and growth of the organ are essentially mechanical processes. Here, we develop a mathematical model to describe the change of organ morphologies through cell proliferation. Our basic idea is that the proper specification of localized volume source (e.g., cell proliferation) is able to guide organ morphogenesis, and that the specification is given by chemical gradients. We call this idea "growth-based morphogenesis." We find that this morphogenetic mechanism works if the tissue is elastic for small deformation and plastic for large deformation. To illustrate our concept, we study the development of vertebrate limb buds, in which a limb bud protrudes from a flat lateral plate and extends distally in a self-organized manner. We show how the proportion of limb bud shape depends on different parameters and also show the conditions needed for normal morphogenesis, which can explain abnormal morphology of some mutants. We believe that the ideas shown in the present paper are useful for the morphogenesis of other organs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yoshihiro Morishita
- PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency, 4-1-8 Honcho Kawaguchi, Saitama, Japan.
| | | |
Collapse
|
44
|
Xu Z, Chen N, Kamocka MM, Rosen ED, Alber M. A multiscale model of thrombus development. J R Soc Interface 2008; 5:705-22. [PMID: 17925274 PMCID: PMC2607450 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2007.1202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 112] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2007] [Revised: 09/18/2007] [Accepted: 09/18/2007] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
A two-dimensional multiscale model is introduced for studying formation of a thrombus (clot) in a blood vessel. It involves components for modelling viscous, incompressible blood plasma; non-activated and activated platelets; blood cells; activating chemicals; fibrinogen; and vessel walls and their interactions. The macroscale dynamics of the blood flow is described by the continuum Navier-Stokes equations. The microscale interactions between the activated platelets, the platelets and fibrinogen and the platelets and vessel wall are described through an extended stochastic discrete cellular Potts model. The model is tested for robustness with respect to fluctuations of basic parameters. Simulation results demonstrate the development of an inhomogeneous internal structure of the thrombus, which is confirmed by the preliminary experimental data. We also make predictions about different stages in thrombus development, which can be tested experimentally and suggest specific experiments. Lastly, we demonstrate that the dependence of the thrombus size on the blood flow rate in simulations is close to the one observed experimentally.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhiliang Xu
- Department of Mathematics, University of Notre DameNotre Dame, IN 46556, USA
| | - Nan Chen
- Department of Mathematics, University of Notre DameNotre Dame, IN 46556, USA
| | - Malgorzata M Kamocka
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of MedicineIndianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | - Elliot D Rosen
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of MedicineIndianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | - Mark Alber
- Department of Mathematics, University of Notre DameNotre Dame, IN 46556, USA
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Rajesh S, Sinha S. Measuring collective behaviour of multicellular ensembles: role of space-time scales. J Biosci 2008; 33:289-301. [DOI: 10.1007/s12038-008-0046-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
|
46
|
Popławski NJ, Shirinifard A, Swat M, Glazier JA. Simulation of single-species bacterial-biofilm growth using the Glazier-Graner-Hogeweg model and the CompuCell3D modeling environment. MATHEMATICAL BIOSCIENCES AND ENGINEERING : MBE 2008; 5:355-88. [PMID: 18613738 PMCID: PMC2547990 DOI: 10.3934/mbe.2008.5.355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
The CompuCell3D modeling environment provides a convenient platform for biofilm simulations using the Glazier-Graner-Hogeweg (GGH) model, a cell-oriented framework designed to simulate growth and pattern formation due to biological cells' behaviors. We show how to develop such a simulation, based on the hybrid (continuum-discrete) model of Picioreanu, van Loosdrecht, and Heijnen (PLH), simulate the growth of a single-species bacterial biofilm, and study the roles of cell-cell and cell-field interactions in determining biofilm morphology. In our simulations, which generalize the PLH model by treating cells as spatially extended, deformable bodies, differential adhesion between cells, and their competition for a substrate (nutrient), suffice to produce a fingering instability that generates the finger shapes of biofilms. Our results agree with most features of the PLH model, although our inclusion of cell adhesion, which is difficult to implement using other modeling approaches, results in slightly different patterns. Our simulations thus provide the groundwork for simulations of medically and industrially important multispecies biofilms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nikodem J Popławski
- Biocomplexity Institute and Department of Physics, Indiana University, Swain Hall West, 727 East Third Street, Bloomington, IN 47405-7105, USA.
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
47
|
Newman SA, Bhat R. Activator-inhibitor dynamics of vertebrate limb pattern formation. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2008; 81:305-19. [PMID: 18228262 DOI: 10.1002/bdrc.20112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
The development of the vertebrate limb depends on an interplay of cellular differentiation, pattern formation, and tissue morphogenesis on multiple spatial and temporal scales. While numerous gene products have been described that participate in, and influence, the generation of the limb skeletal pattern, an understanding of the most salient feature of the developing limb--its quasiperiodic arrangement of bones, requires additional organizational principles. We review several such principles, drawing on concepts of physics and chemical dynamics along with molecular genetics and cell biology. First, a "core mechanism" for precartilage mesenchymal condensation is described, based on positive autoregulation of the morphogen transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta, induction of the extracellular matrix (ECM) protein fibronectin, and focal accumulation of cells via haptotaxis. This core mechanism is shown to be part of a local autoactivation-lateral inhibition (LALI) system that ensures that the condensations will be regularly spaced. Next, a "bare-bones" model for limb development is described in which the LALI-core mechanism is placed in a growing geometric framework with predifferentiated "apical," differentiating "active," and irreversibly differentiated "frozen" zones defined by distance from an apical source of a fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-type morphogen. This model is shown to account for classic features of the developing limb, including the proximodistal (PD) emergence over time of increasing numbers of bones. We review earlier and recent work suggesting that the inhibitory component of the LALI system for condensation may not be a diffusible morphogen, and propose an alternative mechanism for lateral inhibition, based on synchronization of oscillations of a Hes mediator of the Notch signaling pathway. Finally, we discuss how viewing development as an interplay between molecular-genetic and dynamic physical processes can provide new insight into the origin of congenital anomalies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stuart A Newman
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York 10595, USA.
| | | |
Collapse
|
48
|
Abstract
Recent developments in computational cell and biomolecular mechanics have provided valuable insights into the mechanical properties of cells, subcellular components and biomolecules, while simultaneously complementing new experimental techniques used for deciphering the structure-function paradigm in living cells. These computational approaches have direct implications in understanding the state of human health and the progress of disease and can therefore aid immensely in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. We provide an overview of the computational approaches that are currently used in understanding various aspects of cell and bimolecular mechanics. Our emphasis is on state-of-the-art techniques and the progress made in addressing key challenges in biomechanics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ashkan Vaziri
- School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.
| | | |
Collapse
|
49
|
Glazier JA, Zhang Y, Swat M, Zaitlen B, Schnell S. Coordinated action of N-CAM, N-cadherin, EphA4, and ephrinB2 translates genetic prepatterns into structure during somitogenesis in chick. Curr Top Dev Biol 2008; 81:205-47. [PMID: 18023729 PMCID: PMC2556964 DOI: 10.1016/s0070-2153(07)81007-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/09/2022]
Abstract
During gastrulation in vertebrates, mesenchymal cells at the anterior end of the presomitic mesoderm (PSM) periodically compact, transiently epithelialize and detach from the posterior PSM to form somites. In the prevailing clock-and-wavefront model of somitogenesis, periodic gene expression, particularly of Notch and Wnt, interacts with an FGF8-based thresholding mechanism to determine cell fates. However, this model does not explain how cell determination and subsequent differentiation translates into somite morphology. In this paper, we use computer simulations of chick somitogenesis to show that experimentally-observed temporal and spatial patterns of adhesive N-CAM and N-cadherin and repulsive EphA4-ephrinB2 pairs suffice to reproduce the complex dynamic morphological changes of somitogenesis in wild-type and N-cadherin (-/-) chick, including intersomitic separation, boundary-shape evolution and sorting of misdifferentiated cells across compartment boundaries. Since different models of determination yield the same, experimentally-observed, distribution of adhesion and repulsion molecules, the patterning is independent of the details of this mechanism.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- James A Glazier
- Biocomplexity Institute and Department of Physics, 727 East Third Street, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, USA
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
50
|
Thorne BC, Bailey AM, DeSimone DW, Peirce SM. Agent-based modeling of multicell morphogenic processes during development. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2008; 81:344-53. [DOI: 10.1002/bdrc.20106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
|