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Fingering Instability Accelerates Population Growth of a Proliferating Cell Collective.
Physical Review Letters
|January 19, 2024
Summary
Cell collectives grow with a pressure-dependent rate, forming a fast-growing front and slow interior. This fingering instability enhances overall growth, suggesting evolutionary advantages for protrusions.
Area of Science:
- Cell biology
- Biophysics
- Mathematical modeling
Background:
- Cell collectives, like microbial colonies and tissues, experience pressure-growth coupling.
- The impact of this coupling on collective growth dynamics is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how pressure-dependent growth affects cell collective expansion.
- To explore the emergence of instabilities and their role in growth.
Main Methods:
- Development of a continuum model for cell collective growth.
- Numerical simulations to confirm predicted instability criteria.
Main Results:
- A distinct fast-growing leading front and slow-growing interior were observed.
- Fingering instability at the leading front was identified and confirmed.
- Fingering instability acts as a positive feedback, accelerating population growth.
Conclusions:
- Pressure-growth coupling leads to emergent growth patterns and instabilities.
- Fingering instability provides a fitness advantage, promoting faster collective growth.
- Protrusion formation may be an evolutionarily selected trait in cell collectives.
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