Emergent structures and dynamics of cell colonies by contact inhibition of locomotion

Abstract

Cells in tissues can organize into a broad spectrum of structures according to their function. Drastic changes of organization, such as epithelial-mesenchymal transitions or the formation of spheroidal aggregates, are often associated either to tissue morphogenesis or to cancer progression. Here, we study the organization of cell colonies by means of simulations of self-propelled particles with generic cell-like interactions. The interplay between cell softness, cell-cell adhesion, and contact inhibition of locomotion (CIL) yields structures and collective dynamics observed in several existing tissue phenotypes. These include regular distributions of cells, dynamic cell clusters, gel-like networks, collectively migrating monolayers, and 3D aggregates. We give analytical predictions for transitions between noncohesive, cohesive, and 3D cell arrangements. We explicitly show how CIL yields an effective repulsion that promotes cell dispersal, thereby hindering the formation of cohesive tissues. Yet, in continuous monolayers, CIL leads to collective cell motion, ensures tensile intercellular stresses, and opposes cell extrusion. Thus, our work highlights the prominent role of CIL in determining the emergent structures and dynamics of cell colonies.

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Cited by in corpus (22)

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• Active Fingering Instability in Tissue Spreading
• Self-Aligning Polar Active Matter
• Role of Substrate Stiffness in Tissue Spreading: Wetting Transition and Tissue Durotaxis
• Mechanical basis and topological routes to cell elimination
• Collective effects in confined Active Brownian Particles
• Tracking collective cell motion by topological data analysis
• Information and motility exchange in collectives of active particles
• Robust statistical properties of T1 transitions in confluent cell tissues
• Epidemic processes on self-propelled particles: continuum and agent-based modelling
• Emergence of bidirectional cell laning from collective contact guidance
• Co-regulation of multi-cellular swirling by individual cellular chirality and boundaries
• Self-Aligning Active Agents with Inertia and Active Torque
• Differences in mechanical properties lead to anomalous phase separation in a model cell co-culture
• Soliton approximation in continuum models of leader-follower behavior
• Adapting a plant tissue model to animal development: introducing cell sliding into VirtualLeaf
• A minimal model for structure, dynamics, and tension of monolayered cell colonies
• A phenomenological multiscale framework for orientational interactions and viscoelasticity in migrating epithelial monolayers