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Mechanical Stimulation-induced Calcium Wave Propagation in Cell Monolayers: The Example of Bovine Corneal Endothelial Cells
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Nematic cell alignment directs calcium waves.

Annemarie C Winterstrain1, Bennett C Sessa1, Michael M Norton1

  • 1Department of Physics, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02453, USA.

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|November 24, 2025
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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Cell alignment, or nematic order, influences how fast calcium waves travel across tissues. This discovery reveals how tissue structure impacts cell communication during healing and development.

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Area of Science:

  • Cell biology
  • Biophysics
  • Developmental biology

Background:

  • Tissues coordinate cells using long-range signals like calcium waves and cell alignment (nematic order).
  • Calcium waves guide cell migration in processes like wound healing.
  • Defects in cell alignment can localize tissue development events.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between long-range calcium signaling and cell nematic order in epithelial tissues.
  • To understand how cell alignment affects the dynamics of wound-induced calcium waves.

Main Methods:

  • Experimental measurement of calcium wave propagation in epithelial tissues.
  • Development of a reaction-diffusion model incorporating anisotropic diffusive coupling.
  • Analysis of how nematic defects influence calcium wave front propagation.

Main Results:

  • Calcium wave speed is dependent on the angle between the wave vector and cell axis, with maximal speed perpendicular to tissue orientation.
  • A reaction-diffusion model accurately recapitulates observed calcium wave dynamics.
  • Nematic defects were shown to bend calcium wave fronts, desynchronizing signal reception.

Conclusions:

  • Spatial patterns of cell alignment control collective communication via calcium signaling.
  • This mechanism is relevant for understanding tissue coordination in development, wound healing, and disease.
  • The interplay between cell order and signaling provides insights into tissue-scale information processing.