Description: Physics of active jamming during collective cellular motion in a monolayer

This title appears in the Scientific Report : 2015

Physics of active jamming during collective cellular motion in a monolayer

Although collective cell motion plays an important role, for example during wound healing, embryogenesis, or cancer progression, the fundamental rules governing this motion are still not well understood, in particular at high cell density. We study here the motion of human bronchial epithelial cells...

Personal Name(s):	Garcia, Simon
	Hannezo, Edouard / Elgeti, Jens / Joanny, Jean-Francois / Silberzan, Pascal / Gov, Nir S.
Contributing Institute:	Theorie der Weichen Materie und Biophysik; IAS-2 Theorie der Weichen Materie und Biophysik; ICS-2
Published in:	Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 112 (2015) S. 15314-15319
Imprint:	Washington, DC National Acad. of Sciences 2015
PubMed ID:	26627719
DOI:	10.1073/pnas.1510973112
Document Type:	Journal Article
Research Program:	Physical Basis of Diseases
Link:	OpenAccess OpenAccess
	Publikationsportal JuSER

Please use the identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/2128/19749 in citations.
Please use the identifier: http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1510973112 in citations.

Although collective cell motion plays an important role, for example during wound healing, embryogenesis, or cancer progression, the fundamental rules governing this motion are still not well understood, in particular at high cell density. We study here the motion of human bronchial epithelial cells within a monolayer, over long times. We observe that, as the monolayer ages, the cells slow down monotonously, while the velocity correlation length first increases as the cells slow down but eventually decreases at the slowest motions. By comparing experiments, analytic model, and detailed particle-based simulations, we shed light on this biological amorphous solidification process, demonstrating that the observed dynamics can be explained as a consequence of the combined maturation and strengthening of cell-cell and cell-substrate adhesions. Surprisingly, the increase of cell surface density due to proliferation is only secondary in this process. This analysis is confirmed with two other cell types. The very general relations between the mean cell velocity and velocity correlation lengths, which apply for aggregates of self-propelled particles, as well as motile cells, can possibly be used to discriminate between various parameter changes in vivo, from noninvasive microscopy data.