Spontaneous spatiotemporal ordering of shape oscillations enhances cell migration

Area of Science:

• Cell biology
• Biophysics
• Computational biology

Background:

• Cell migration is vital for development, healing, and disease.
• Single cells undergo cyclical shape changes during movement.
• The impact of these oscillations on collective cell behavior remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how cell shape oscillations influence collective migration.
• To identify the physical mechanisms driving synchronized cell movement.

Main Methods:

• Numerical simulations of crawling ameboid cells.
• Modeling cell elongation and contraction with an internal clock.
• Analyzing the interplay of directed motion, shape oscillations, and excluded volume.

Main Results:

• Cell shape oscillations synchronize local cell motion.
• This synchronization enhances collective cell migration.
• Ordering of neighboring cells occurs based on internal clocks, independent of signaling.

Conclusions:

• A novel physical mechanism explains how internal cell dynamics drive collective behavior.
• Shape oscillations are crucial for emergent collective migration.
• Findings offer new insights beyond traditional mechanisms like chemotaxis and adhesion.