Linear Viscoelastic Properties of the Vertex Model for Epithelial Tissues

Abstract

Epithelial tissues act as barriers and, therefore, must repair themselves, respond to environmental changes and grow without compromising their integrity. Consequently, they exhibit complex viscoelastic rheological behavior where constituent cells actively tune their mechanical properties to change the overall response of the tissue, e.g., from solid-like to fluid-like. Mesoscopic mechanical properties of epithelia are commonly modeled with the vertex model. While previous studies have predominantly focused on the rheological properties of the vertex model at long time scales, we systematically studied the full dynamic range by applying small oscillatory shear and bulk deformations in both solid-like and fluid-like phases for regular hexagonal and disordered cell configurations. We found that the shear and bulk responses in the fluid and solid phases can be described by standard spring-dashpot viscoelastic models. Furthermore, the solid-fluid transition can be tuned by applying pre-deformation to the system. Our study provides insights into the mechanisms by which epithelia can regulate their rich rheological behavior.

24 pages, 10 figures + Supplemental Information (12 pages, 12 figures)

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Cited by in corpus (18)

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• The role of non-affine deformations in the elastic behavior of the cellular vertex model
• Yield Stress and Compliance in Active Cell Monolayers
• Anomalous elasticity of cellular tissue vertex model
• Linear Viscoelastic Response of the Vertex Model with Internal and External Dissipation: Normal Modes Analysis
• Mapping cell cortex rheology to tissue rheology, and vice-versa
• Cell Sorting in an Active Nematic Vertex Model
• Long-range order in two-dimensional systems with fluctuating active stresses
• Couple stresses and discrete potentials in the vertex model of cellular monolayers
• Discontinuous shear thickening in biological tissue rheology
• Motility driven glassy dynamics in confluent epithelial monolayers
• Basolateral mechanics prevents rigidity transition in epithelial monolayers
• Spectral approaches to stress relaxation in epithelial monolayers
• Geometry of T1 transitions in epithelia
• Hydrodynamic stability and pattern formation in hexatic epithelial layers
• Optimal power and efficiency of odd engines