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Contractility-Driven Cell Motility against a Viscoelastic Resistance.

Tapas Singha1, Pierre Sens1

  • 1Physique of Cells and Cancer, Sorbonne Université, Institut Curie, Université PSL, CNRS UMR168, 75005 Paris, France.

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Cell motility and polarization are regulated by the mechanical resistance of the environment. We model how acto-myosin contractility and medium properties influence cell movement and symmetry breaking.

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Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Cell Biology
  • Mechanobiology

Background:

  • Cellular motility is crucial for biological processes.
  • The mechanical properties of the cellular environment influence cell behavior.
  • Acto-myosin contractility plays a key role in cell mechanics and polarization.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how environmental mechanical resistance regulates cell polarization and motion.
  • To model contraction-based cell motility within a microchannel.
  • To understand the feedback mechanisms between acto-myosin cortex asymmetry and cell movement.

Main Methods:

  • Developed a model of contraction-based cell motility.
  • Utilized linear stability analysis.
  • Performed numerical simulations.
  • Generated phase diagrams to summarize results.

Main Results:

  • A positive feedback loop between acto-myosin cortex asymmetry and cell motion drives spontaneous symmetry breaking and motility.
  • Motility emerges beyond a threshold contractility dependent on environmental resistance.
  • Bistability is predicted in highly viscous environments, requiring activation for symmetry breaking.
  • Viscoelastic environments can lead to periodic oscillations in cortex density polarization and velocity.
  • Cell behavior at the viscous-viscoelastic boundary (crossing, bouncing back, trapping) depends on viscoelastic relaxation time.

Conclusions:

  • Environmental mechanical resistance is a critical regulator of cell polarization and motility.
  • The model predicts distinct cell behaviors in viscous versus viscoelastic environments.
  • Phase diagrams effectively illustrate the complex interplay between contractility, environmental properties, and cell dynamics.