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Epithelial cell sheets exhibit collective motion similar to supercooled liquids. Persistent cell motility and elastic properties drive these swirl-like correlations, matching experimental and simulation data.

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Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Soft Matter Physics
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Epithelial cell monolayers display complex collective behaviors, including long-range correlations in displacement and velocity.
  • These behaviors resemble those observed in supercooled liquids and active nematic systems.
  • Understanding the underlying physical mechanisms is crucial for tissue development and regeneration.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the physical principles governing collective cell motility in epithelial monolayers.
  • To determine if persistent cell motility coupled with elastic properties can explain observed swirl-like correlations.
  • To validate analytical models with agent-based simulations and experimental data.

Main Methods:

  • Developed analytical models based on continuum active linear elasticity and normal modes formalism.
  • Performed numerical simulations using two agent-based models: soft elastic particles and the self-propelled Voronoi model.
  • Validated models against in-vitro experimental data from confluent corneal epithelial cell sheets.

Main Results:

  • Persistent uncoordinated cell motility, coupled with collective elastic modes, sufficiently explains swirl-like correlations.
  • Analytical predictions were quantitatively matched by simulations and normal mode analysis under specific conditions.
  • A single fitting parameter in the analytical model accurately described measured velocity correlation functions over a wide range.

Conclusions:

  • Dense active matter framework effectively describes epithelial cell monolayer dynamics.
  • The interplay between cell motility and tissue elasticity is key to emergent collective behaviors.
  • The study provides a robust quantitative model for predicting cell sheet dynamics.