Assessing the role of spatial correlations during collective cell spreading.

ABSTRACT: Spreading cell fronts are essential features of development, repair and disease processes. Many mathematical models used to describe the motion of cell fronts, such as Fisher's equation, invoke a mean-field assumption which implies that there is no spatial structure, such as cell clustering, present. Here, we examine the presence of spatial structure using a combination of in vitro circular barrier assays, discrete random walk simulations and pair correlation functions. In particular, we analyse discrete simulation data using pair correlation functions to show that spatial structure can form in a spreading population of cells either through sufficiently strong cell-to-cell adhesion or sufficiently rapid cell proliferation. We analyse images from a circular barrier assay describing the spre

SUBMITTER: Treloar KK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4100022 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature