A Mechanistic Collective Cell Model for Epithelial Colony Growth and Contact Inhibition.

ABSTRACT: We present a mechanistic hybrid continuum-discrete model to simulate the dynamics of epithelial cell colonies. Collective cell dynamics are modeled using continuum equations that capture plastic, viscoelastic, and elastic deformations in the clusters while providing single-cell resolution. The continuum equations can be viewed as a coarse-grained version of previously developed discrete models that treat epithelial clusters as a two-dimensional network of vertices or stochastic interacting particles and follow the framework of dynamic density functional theory appropriately modified to account for cell size and shape variability. The discrete component of the model implements cell division and thus influences cell size and shape that couple to the continuum component. The model is validate

SUBMITTER: Aland S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4601048 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature