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Precision of Flow Sensing by Self-Communicating Cells
Sean Fancher1,2, Michael Vennettilli1, Nicholas Hilgert1
1Department of Physics and Astronomy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|May 9, 2020
Summary
Metastatic cancer cells sense lymphatic flow direction using chemical signals. Reversible binding to receptors offers higher precision than absorption, operating near the physical detection limit.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Cancer Biology
- Cellular Mechanics
Background:
- Metastatic cancer cells navigate using lymphatic flow.
- Cells detect flow direction via secreted chemicals returning anisotropically.
- The sensory precision of this mechanism is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the sensory precision of lymphatic flow detection by cancer cells.
- To compare the precision of absorption versus reversible binding detection methods.
- To investigate the role of detection noise in flow sensing.
Main Methods:
- Theoretical derivation of flow sensing precision for two detection models.
- Analysis of signal distortion caused by absorption.
- Comparison of theoretical predictions with experimental endocytosis data.
Main Results:
- Reversible binding to surface receptors is more precise than absorption.
- Absorption distorts the chemical signal, reducing sensing accuracy.
- Cancer cells operate near the physical limit of flow detection.
Conclusions:
- Cancer cells likely utilize reversible binding for precise lymphatic flow detection.
- This mechanism is highly sensitive, operating near the theoretical detection limit.
- Findings support reversible binding over absorption for detecting flow-borne signals.
