Abstract
We report spontaneously emerging, randomly oriented, collective streaming behavior within a monolayer culture of a human keratinocyte cell line, and explore the effect of modulating cell adhesions by perturbing the function of calcium-dependent cell adhesion molecules. We demonstrate that decreasing cell adhesion induces narrower and more anisotropic cell streams, reminiscent of decreasing the Taylor scale of turbulent liquids. To explain our empirical findings, we propose a cell-based model that represents the dual nature of cell–cell adhesions. Spring-like connections provide mechanical stability, while a cellular Potts model formalism represents surface-tension driven attachment. By changing the relevance and persistence of mechanical links between cells, we are able to explain the experimentally observed changes in emergent flow patterns.
Highlights
Collective motility of interacting cells is a poorly understood, but fundamental aspect of several developmental and pathological processes [1, 2]
Studies investigating the motion of kidney epithelial (MDCK, [3, 4]) or endothelial [5, 6] cells, as well as immune cells in explanted lymph nodes [7] indicated an intriguing motion pattern, reminiscent of flow patterns seen in experiments with high density bacterial suspensions [8] or self-propelled inanimate objects [9]
Statistical characterization of the spontaneous streaming motion within endothelial monolayers revealed that cells move in locally anisotropic, 50–100 μm wide and 200–300 μm long streams, which form and disappear at random positions [6]
Summary
Collective motility of interacting cells is a poorly understood, but fundamental aspect of several developmental and pathological processes [1, 2]. Statistical characterization of the spontaneous streaming motion within endothelial monolayers revealed that cells move in locally anisotropic, 50–100 μm wide and 200–300 μm long streams, which form and disappear at random positions [6]. This type of motion is clearly different from both the diffusive movements observed in cell sorting experiments [10, 11] as well as from a motility driven by external chemotactic gradients. While statistical characterization of these in vivo motion patterns is not yet available, the reported cell trajectories are in many aspects similar to those observed in monolayer cultures
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