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Cell sorting by active forces in a phase-field model of cell monolayers.
James N Graham1, Guanming Zhang2,3, Julia M Yeomans1
1Rudolf Peierls Centre for Theoretical Physics, Parks Road, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PU, UK. james.graham@physics.ox.ac.uk.
Soft Matter
|March 12, 2024
Summary
Active cell sorting drives pattern formation in biological development. This study reveals how differing cell activities lead to rapid segregation and patch formation, independent of thermodynamic principles.
Area of Science:
- * Biophysics
- * Developmental Biology
- * Cell Biology
Background:
- * Cell sorting is crucial for embryonic development, organizing cells into distinct tissues.
- * Cellular activity, such as extensile or contractile forces, influences cell behavior and tissue organization.
- * Understanding the mechanisms driving cell sorting is key to deciphering developmental processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- * To investigate the role of cellular activity in driving cell sorting within a confluent cell layer.
- * To model the segregation dynamics of cells with differing extensile or contractile dipolar activity.
- * To determine if cellular activity alone can induce sorting without thermodynamic driving forces.
Main Methods:
- * Employed a phase-field model to simulate a confluent layer of cells.
- * Introduced mixtures of cells with distinct extensile and contractile dipolar activities.
- * Analyzed the resulting segregation patterns and their temporal evolution.
Main Results:
- * Mixtures of cells with differing activities rapidly sorted into small, elongated patches.
- * These sorted patches exhibited slow growth over time.
- * The observed sorting was attributed to differential diffusivity between active cell types.
- * Free energy remained unchanged during sorting, indicating a non-thermodynamic driving force.
Conclusions:
- * Cellular activity, specifically differential dipolar activity, is a significant driver of cell sorting.
- * This active sorting mechanism can operate independently of traditional thermodynamic driving forces.
- * The findings provide insights into pattern formation during biological development, such as embryogenesis.
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