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A dynamic cellular vertex model of growing epithelial tissues

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Abstract

Intercellular interactions play a significant role in a wide range of biological functions and processes at both the cellular and tissue scales, for example, embryogenesis, organogenesis, and cancer invasion. In this paper, a dynamic cellular vertex model is presented to study the morphomechanics of a growing epithelial monolayer. The regulating role of stresses in soft tissue growth is revealed. It is found that the cells originating from the same parent cell in the monolayer can orchestrate into clustering patterns as the tissue grows. Collective cell migration exhibits a feature of spatial correlation across multiple cells. Dynamic intercellular interactions can engender a variety of distinct tissue behaviors in a social context. Uniform cell proliferation may render high and heterogeneous residual compressive stresses, while stress-regulated proliferation can effectively release the stresses, reducing the stress heterogeneity in the tissue. The results highlight the critical role of mechanical factors in the growth and morphogenesis of epithelial tissues and help understand the development and invasion of epithelial tumors.

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Acknowledgements

Supports from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants 11432008, 11542005, 11672161, and 11620101001), Tsinghua University (Grant 20151080441), and the Thousand Young Talents Program of China are acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Biomechanics and Medical Engineering, AML, Department of Engineering Mechanics, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China

    Shao-Zhen Lin, Bo Li & Xi-Qiao Feng

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  1. Shao-Zhen Lin
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  2. Bo Li
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  3. Xi-Qiao Feng
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Correspondence to Xi-Qiao Feng.

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Lin, SZ., Li, B. & Feng, XQ. A dynamic cellular vertex model of growing epithelial tissues. Acta Mech. Sin. 33, 250–259 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10409-017-0654-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10409-017-0654-y

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