Non-straight cell edges are important to invasion and engulfment as demonstrated by cell mechanics model.

ABSTRACT: Computational models of cell-cell mechanical interactions typically simulate sorting and certain other motions well, but as demands on these models continue to grow, discrepancies between the cell shapes, contact angles and behaviours they predict and those that occur in real cells have come under increased scrutiny. To investigate whether these discrepancies are a direct result of the straight cell-cell edges generally assumed in these models, we developed a finite element model that approximates cell boundaries using polylines with an arbitrary number of segments. We then compared the predictions of otherwise identical polyline and monoline (straight-edge) models in a variety of scenarios, including annealing, single- and multi-cell engulfment, sorting, and two forms of mixing--invasion

SUBMITTER: Perrone MC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4792343 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature