Velocity alignment leads to high persistence in confined cells

Area of Science:

• Cell Biology
• Biophysics
• Theoretical Biology

Background:

• Cells exhibit random motility on 2D substrates but directional persistence when confined.
• Existing models often treat confined and unconfined cell migration separately.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if a single model can describe both free and confined cell migration.
• To explore the underlying mechanisms of enhanced persistence in confined cells.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a generic model of cells as "velocity-aligning" active Brownian particles.
• Mapped the model to a diffusive escape over a barrier for analytical solutions.
• Determined cell orientation distribution and repolarization rates.

Main Results:

• The active Brownian particle model successfully describes both free and confined cell migration.
• Confinement in microchannels or micropatterns leads to exponentially longer directional persistence.
• High persistence in confined cells correlates with rapid velocity alignment to cell-cell forces.

Conclusions:

• A unified model explains cell migration across different confinement conditions.
• Confinement enhances cell persistence through velocity alignment mechanisms.
• This work connects single-cell migration behavior to collective cell migration dynamics.