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Statistical Features of Collective Cell Migration

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Cell Migrations: Causes and Functions

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 1146))

Abstract

We discuss recent advances in interpreting the collective dynamics of cellular assemblies using ideas and tools coming from the statistical physics of materials. Experimental observations suggest analogies between the collective motion of cell monolayers and the jamming of soft materials. Granular media, emulsions and other soft materials display transitions between fluid-like and solid-like behavior as control parameters, such as temperature, density and stress, are changed. A similar jamming transition has been observed in the relaxation of epithelial cell monolayers. In this case, the associated unjamming transition, in which cells migrate collectively, is linked to a variety of biochemical and biophysical factors. In this framework, recent works show that wound healing induce monolayer fluidization with collective migration fronts moving in an avalanche-like behavior reminiscent of intermittent front propagation in materials such as domain walls in magnets, cracks in disordered media or flux lines in superconductors. Finally, we review the ability of discrete models of cell migration, from interacting active particles to vertex and Voronoi models, to simulate the statistical properties observed experimentally.

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Acknowledgements

We wish to thank our collaborators on the topic of collective cell migration. In particular, we would like to mention O. Chepizhko, M. C. Lionetti, C. Giampietro and G. Scita.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Science and Policy, Center for Complexity and Biosystems, University of Milan, Milan, Italy

    Caterina A. M. La Porta

  2. Department of Physics, Center for Complexity and Biosystems, University of Milan, Milan, Italy

    Stefano Zapperi

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  1. Caterina A. M. La Porta
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  2. Stefano Zapperi
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Correspondence to Caterina A. M. La Porta or Stefano Zapperi .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Science and Policy, Center for Complexity and Biosystems University of Milan, Milan, Italy

    Caterina A. M. La Porta

  2. Department of Physics, Center for Complexity and Biosystems University of Milan, Milan, Italy

    Stefano Zapperi

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Porta, C.A.M.L., Zapperi, S. (2019). Statistical Features of Collective Cell Migration. In: La Porta, C., Zapperi, S. (eds) Cell Migrations: Causes and Functions. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 1146. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-17593-1_5

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