Fluid pumping and active flexoelectricity can promote lumen nucleation in cell assemblies

Abstract

We discuss the physical mechanisms that promote or suppress the nucleation of a fluid-filled lumen inside a cell assembly or a tissue. We discuss lumen formation in a continuum theory of tissue material properties in which the tissue is described as a two-fluid system to account for its permeation by the interstitial fluid, and we include fluid pumping as well as active electric effects. Considering a spherical geometry and a polarized tissue, our work shows that fluid pumping and tissue flexoelectricity play a crucial role in lumen formation. We furthermore explore the large variety of long-time states that are accessible for the cell aggregate and its lumen. Our work reveals a role of the coupling of mechanical, electrical and hydraulic phenomena in tissue lumen formation.

Published version

References in corpus (3)

• Osmosis, from molecular insights to large-scale applications
• Nonequilibrium Fluctuations, Travelling Waves, and Instabilities in Active Membranes
• Homeostatic competition drives tumor growth and metastasis nucleation

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