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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 26, 2025

Characterizing Epithelial Wound Healing In Vivo Using the Cnidarian Model Organism Clytia hemisphaerica

Characterizing Epithelial Wound Healing In Vivo Using the Cnidarian Model Organism Clytia hemisphaerica

Published on: February 10, 2023

Leader-cell-driven epithelial sheet fingering.

Yanjun Yang¹, Herbert Levine^2,3

¹Department of Applied Physics and Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Rice University, Houston, TX 77251-1892, United States of America.

Physical Biology

|May 6, 2020

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Leader cells are essential for collective cell migration and the formation of finger-like protrusions in epithelial cell layers. While supracellular actin cables aid finger shape, they are not required for initial finger formation.

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Last Updated: Nov 26, 2025

Characterizing Epithelial Wound Healing In Vivo Using the Cnidarian Model Organism Clytia hemisphaerica

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Published on: February 10, 2023

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Published on: July 1, 2022

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Published on: October 3, 2014

Area of Science:

Cell Biology
Biophysics
Computational Biology

Background:

Collective cell migration is vital for tissue development and disease progression.
Epithelial cell layers migrating collectively often form finger-like protrusions at their leading edge.
These protrusions are typically guided by specialized leader cells.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop and validate a computational model for collective cell migration and fingering instability.
To investigate the roles of leader cells and supracellular actin cables in this process.
To understand the underlying mechanisms driving finger formation in epithelial monolayers.

Main Methods:

Developed a subcellular-element-based computational model for epithelial cell monolayers.
Incorporated leader cell behavior and supracellular actin cable dynamics.
Compared model predictions with experimental data on Madin-Darby canine kidney cells.
Analyzed the system using a continuum active fluid model.

Main Results:

The model accurately reproduced experimental traction force patterns and velocity fields.
Leader cells were predicted as necessary for stable finger pattern formation and maintenance.
Supracellular actin cables were found to maintain finger shape but not initiate finger formation.
Homogeneous active fluid models without leader cells failed to produce finger protrusions.

Conclusions:

Leader cells play a critical, indispensable role in initiating and sustaining collective cell migration fingering instability.
Supracellular actin cables are important for stabilizing finger morphology but not for their emergence.
The computational model provides a valuable tool for studying cell migration dynamics and guiding future experiments.