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Updated: May 22, 2026
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Generating Controlled, Dynamic Chemical Landscapes to Study Microbial Behavior
Published on: January 31, 2020
Spatial-temporal dynamics of collective chemosensing
Bo Sun1, Josephine Lembong, Valery Normand
1Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.
Summary
Multicellular organisms show regulated cell responses through intercellular communication and pacemaker cells. Gap junctions are essential for synchronized fibroblast cell calcium dynamics in dense colonies.
Area of Science:
- Cellular Biology
- Biophysics
- Systems Biology
Background:
- Individual cell chemosensing is stochastic.
- Multicellular organisms display regulated responses to stimuli.
- Intercellular communication and pacemaker cells are key to deterministic chemosensing.
Purpose of the Study:
- Characterize collective cell behavior in response to ATP stimulation.
- Investigate the role of intercellular communication and pacemaker cells in spatial-temporal calcium dynamics.
- Determine the impact of gap junctions on collective cell responses.
Main Methods:
- Studied spatial-temporal calcium dynamics of fibroblast cells.
- Compared responses of isolated cells, densely packed colonies, and cells in hydrogel films.
- Analyzed the influence of gap junctions and diffusion-based communication.
Main Results:
- Densely packed fibroblast colonies showed faster, synchronized, and correlated calcium responses compared to isolated cells.
- Pacemaker cells were identified, and gap junctions were shown to influence collective responses.
- Gap junctions are necessary for synchronized responses in high-density colonies; diffusion alone is insufficient.
- Both gap junctions and diffusion enabled calcium oscillations, but hydrogel-trapped cells exhibited persistent oscillations.
Conclusions:
- Intercellular signaling is crucial for regulated spatial and temporal dynamics in cell colonies and tissues.
- Gap junctions play a vital role in coordinating responses in dense cell populations.
- Cellular communication mechanisms dictate the nature and persistence of calcium dynamics.
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