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Poissonian Cellular Potts Models Reveal Nonequilibrium Kinetics of Cell Sorting.
R Belousov1, S Savino1,2, P Moghe3,4
1Cell Biology and Biophysics Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Meyerhofstraße 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany.
Physical Review Letters
|July 1, 2024
Summary
Cellular Potts models now incorporate physical timescales and stochastic thermodynamics for accurate cell-sorting dynamics. This new approach distinguishes thermal effects from non-equilibrium processes like cell growth and active fluctuations.
Area of Science:
- Computational Biology
- Developmental Biology
- Cancer Research
Background:
- Cellular Potts models are widely used in developmental biology and cancer research.
- Traditional models have limitations in accurately describing dynamic processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To overcome limitations in traditional Cellular Potts models.
- To introduce a physical timescale and apply stochastic thermodynamics for improved accuracy.
Main Methods:
- Introduced Poissonian kinetics to establish a physical timescale.
- Applied principles of stochastic thermodynamics to differentiate thermal/relaxation effects from athermal noise and nonconservative forces.
Main Results:
- The enhanced model accurately describes cell-sorting dynamics in mouse-embryo development.
- Successfully identified distinct contributions of non-equilibrium processes, including cell growth and active fluctuations.
Conclusions:
- The novel approach provides a more physically grounded framework for Cellular Potts models.
- Enables a clearer understanding of non-equilibrium dynamics in biological systems.
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