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Updated: Jul 23, 2025
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Directed Cellular Self-Assembly to Fabricate Cell-Derived Tissue Rings for Biomechanical Analysis and Tissue Engineering
Published on: November 25, 2011
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Modelling contractile ring formation and division to daughter cells for simulating proliferative multicellular
Satoru Okuda1, Tetsuya Hiraiwa2
1Nano Life Science Institute, Kakuma-Machi, Kanazawa, Japan. satokuda@staff.kanazawa-u.ac.jp.
The European Physical Journal. E, Soft Matter
|July 19, 2023
Summary
This study introduces a new subcellular model for cell proliferation dynamics. The model accurately simulates cell division and tissue formation, revealing the critical role of actomyosin stress orientation in cleavage furrow development.
Area of Science:
- Computational Biology
- Cell Biology
- Biophysics
Background:
- Cell proliferation is essential for development, repair, and disease, involving complex subcellular events.
- Existing models lack comprehensive subcellular resolution for multicellular proliferative dynamics.
- Previous work developed the nonconservative fluid membrane (NCF) model for cell shape dynamics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel computational model for proliferative multicellular dynamics at subcellular resolution.
- To incorporate cell volume growth and contractile ring formation into the NCF model.
- To analyze the mechanical and geometric factors influencing cell proliferation and tissue formation.
Main Methods:
- Building upon the nonconservative fluid membrane (NCF) model using a dynamically-rearranging closed triangular mesh.
- Incorporating cell volume growth and contractile ring formation via an energy function.
- Topologically dividing cells at the cleavage furrow and performing numerical simulations.
Main Results:
- The model successfully recapitulated subcellular cell proliferation, including volume growth and cleavage furrow formation.
- Actomyosin stress orientation in the contractile ring was identified as critical for cleavage furrow formation.
- The model replicated tissue-scale dynamics, showing cell sheet formation and stratification.
Conclusions:
- The novel model provides a robust platform for analyzing cell proliferation at subcellular resolution.
- Understanding actomyosin stress orientation is key to controlling cleavage furrow formation.
- The model offers insights into tissue-scale morphogenesis driven by cell proliferation.
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