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Communication shapes sensory response in multicellular networks
Garrett D Potter1, Tommy A Byrd2, Andrew Mugler3
1Department of Physics, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331;
Summary
Cells collectively sense their environment through communication. This study shows that fibroblast cell density and communication influence calcium signaling responses to ATP, impacting collective sensing. Cancer cells disrupt this network, reducing signaling.
Area of Science:
- Cell biology
- Biophysics
- Systems biology
Background:
- Collective sensing is crucial in biological systems.
- Quantitative understanding of sensory information encoding in interacting cells is limited.
- Fibroblast cells communicate via gap junctions, influencing cellular responses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate ATP-induced calcium dynamics in fibroblast monolayers.
- To understand how cell-cell communication and density affect collective sensing.
- To quantify the encoding of sensory information in multicellular networks.
Main Methods:
- Experimental observation of calcium dynamics in fibroblast cell monolayers.
- Stochastic modeling to analyze cell-cell communication effects.
- Coculturing fibroblasts with cancer cells to disrupt communication networks.
Main Results:
- Increased ATP stimulus enhances calcium oscillation propensity despite cell variability.
- Higher cell density amplifies oscillation propensity due to increased gap junction communication.
- Cancer cells act as network defects, reducing collective calcium oscillation propensity.
Conclusions:
- Multicellular networks integrate sensory input with neighbor presence via cell-cell communication.
- Cell density and communication are key modulators of collective cellular sensory responses.
- Fibroblast communication networks allow simultaneous response to stimuli and local environment.
Keywords:
calcium oscillationscellular sensingcell–cell communicationcollective behaviorgap junctionsMore Related Videos
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