Persistent random deformation model of cells crawling on a gel surface

Area of Science:

• Cell Biology
• Biophysics
• Physics

Background:

• Cell migration is fundamental to biological processes.
• Previous models inadequately link cell movement (velocity, trajectory) to shape dynamics.
• Quantifying the relationship between cell shape fluctuations and movement is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To experimentally characterize cell crawling dynamics, focusing on shape fluctuations.
• To establish a quantitative relationship between cell velocity and cell-shape dynamics.
• To develop a new model explaining cell migration based on experimental data.

Main Methods:

• Utilized elasticity-tunable gel substrates to modulate cell shape.
• Experimentally characterized cell crawling, extension, and contraction dynamics.
• Developed a persistent random deformation (PRD) model for cell movement.

Main Results:

• Discovered an amoeboid swimmer-like relationship between cell velocity and shape dynamics.
• The PRD model successfully explains statistical properties of cell velocity, trajectory, and shaping.
• The model accounts for back-and-forth motion due to time-reverse symmetry in its velocity equation.

Conclusions:

• The PRD model provides a novel framework for understanding cell migration.
• The model's velocity-shape relationship offers insights into cell phenotype classification.
• This work bridges experimental observations of cell shaping with theoretical modeling of movement.