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Crossley RM, Johnson S, Tsingos E, Bell Z, Berardi M, Botticelli M, Braat QJS, Metzcar J, Ruscone M, Yin Y, Shuttleworth R. Modeling the extracellular matrix in cell migration and morphogenesis: a guide for the curious biologist. Front Cell Dev Biol 2024; 12:1354132. [PMID: 38495620 PMCID: PMC10940354 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2024.1354132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024] Open
Abstract
The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a highly complex structure through which biochemical and mechanical signals are transmitted. In processes of cell migration, the ECM also acts as a scaffold, providing structural support to cells as well as points of potential attachment. Although the ECM is a well-studied structure, its role in many biological processes remains difficult to investigate comprehensively due to its complexity and structural variation within an organism. In tandem with experiments, mathematical models are helpful in refining and testing hypotheses, generating predictions, and exploring conditions outside the scope of experiments. Such models can be combined and calibrated with in vivo and in vitro data to identify critical cell-ECM interactions that drive developmental and homeostatic processes, or the progression of diseases. In this review, we focus on mathematical and computational models of the ECM in processes such as cell migration including cancer metastasis, and in tissue structure and morphogenesis. By highlighting the predictive power of these models, we aim to help bridge the gap between experimental and computational approaches to studying the ECM and to provide guidance on selecting an appropriate model framework to complement corresponding experimental studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca M. Crossley
- Wolfson Centre for Mathematical Biology, Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Samuel Johnson
- Wolfson Centre for Mathematical Biology, Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Erika Tsingos
- Computational Developmental Biology Group, Institute of Biodynamics and Biocomplexity, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Zoe Bell
- Northern Institute for Cancer Research, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Massimiliano Berardi
- LaserLab, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Optics11 life, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | | | - Quirine J. S. Braat
- Department of Applied Physics and Science Education, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, Netherlands
| | - John Metzcar
- Department of Intelligent Systems Engineering, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States
- Department of Informatics, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States
| | | | - Yuan Yin
- Wolfson Centre for Mathematical Biology, Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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Rens EG, Zeegers MT, Rabbers I, Szabó A, Merks RMH. Autocrine inhibition of cell motility can drive epithelial branching morphogenesis in the absence of growth. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20190386. [PMID: 32713299 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Epithelial branching morphogenesis drives the development of organs such as the lung, salivary gland, kidney and the mammary gland. It involves cell proliferation, cell differentiation and cell migration. An elaborate network of chemical and mechanical signals between the epithelium and the surrounding mesenchymal tissues regulates the formation and growth of branching organs. Surprisingly, when cultured in isolation from mesenchymal tissues, many epithelial tissues retain the ability to exhibit branching morphogenesis even in the absence of proliferation. In this work, we propose a simple, experimentally plausible mechanism that can drive branching morphogenesis in the absence of proliferation and cross-talk with the surrounding mesenchymal tissue. The assumptions of our mathematical model derive from in vitro observations of the behaviour of mammary epithelial cells. These data show that autocrine secretion of the growth factor TGF[Formula: see text]1 inhibits the formation of cell protrusions, leading to curvature-dependent inhibition of sprouting. Our hybrid cellular Potts and partial-differential equation model correctly reproduces the experimentally observed tissue-geometry-dependent determination of the sites of branching, and it suffices for the formation of self-avoiding branching structures in the absence and also in the presence of cell proliferation. This article is part of the theme issue 'Multi-scale analysis and modelling of collective migration in biological systems'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth G Rens
- Centrum Wiskunde and Informatica, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Mathematical Institute, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Mathé T Zeegers
- Centrum Wiskunde and Informatica, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Iraes Rabbers
- Centrum Wiskunde and Informatica, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - András Szabó
- Centrum Wiskunde and Informatica, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Roeland M H Merks
- Centrum Wiskunde and Informatica, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Mathematical Institute, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
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