Elastic Anisotropy Governs the Range of Cell-Induced Displacements.

ABSTRACT: The unique nonlinear mechanics of the fibrous extracellular matrix (ECM) facilitates long-range cell-cell mechanical communications that would be impossible for linear elastic substrates. Past research has described the contribution of two separated effects on the range of force transmission, including ECM elastic nonlinearity and fiber alignment. However, the relation between these different effects is unclear, and how they combine to dictate force transmission range is still elusive. Here, we combine discrete fiber simulations with continuum modeling to study the decay of displacements induced by a contractile cell in fibrous networks. We demonstrate that fiber nonlinearity and fiber reorientation both contribute to the strain-induced elastic anisotropy of the cell's local environment. T

SUBMITTER: Goren S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7063433 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature