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Mechanical interactions among followers determine the emergence of leaders in migrating epithelial cell collectives

Author

Listed:
  • Medhavi Vishwakarma

    (Max Planck Institute for Medical Research
    Heidelberg University)

  • Jacopo Russo

    (Max Planck Institute for Medical Research
    Heidelberg University)

  • Dimitri Probst

    (Heidelberg University)

  • Ulrich S. Schwarz

    (Heidelberg University)

  • Tamal Das

    (Max Planck Institute for Medical Research
    Heidelberg University
    Tata Institute of Fundamental Research Hyderabad)

  • Joachim P. Spatz

    (Max Planck Institute for Medical Research
    Heidelberg University)

Abstract

Regulating the emergence of leaders is a central aspect of collective cell migration, but the underlying mechanisms remain ambiguous. Here we show that the selective emergence of leader cells at the epithelial wound-margin depends on the dynamics of the follower cells and is spatially limited by the length-scale of collective force transduction. Owing to the dynamic heterogeneity of the monolayer, cells behind the prospective leaders manifest locally increased traction and monolayer stresses much before these leaders display any phenotypic traits. Followers, in turn, pull on the future leaders to elect them to their fate. Once formed, the territory of a leader can extend only to the length up-to which forces are correlated, which is similar to the length up-to which leader cells can transmit forces. These findings provide mechanobiological insight into the hierarchy in cell collectives during epithelial wound healing.

Suggested Citation

  • Medhavi Vishwakarma & Jacopo Russo & Dimitri Probst & Ulrich S. Schwarz & Tamal Das & Joachim P. Spatz, 2018. "Mechanical interactions among followers determine the emergence of leaders in migrating epithelial cell collectives," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 9(1), pages 1-12, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:9:y:2018:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-018-05927-6
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-05927-6
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    Cited by:

    1. Guangjie Cui & Yunbo Liu & Di Zu & Xintao Zhao & Zhijia Zhang & Do Young Kim & Pramith Senaratne & Aaron Fox & David Sept & Younggeun Park & Somin Eunice Lee, 2023. "Phase intensity nanoscope (PINE) opens long-time investigation windows of living matter," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-10, December.
    2. Rahman, Nizhum & Marangell, Robert & Oelz, Dietmar, 2022. "Classification and stability analysis of polarising and depolarising travelling wave solutions for a model of collective cell migration," Applied Mathematics and Computation, Elsevier, vol. 421(C).
    3. Matthew A. Heinrich & Ricard Alert & Abraham E. Wolf & Andrej Košmrlj & Daniel J. Cohen, 2022. "Self-assembly of tessellated tissue sheets by expansion and collision," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-10, December.
    4. Muzzio, Nicolás E. & Horowitz, Claudio M. & Azzaroni, Omar & Moya, Sergio E. & Pasquale, Miguel A., 2021. "Tilted mammalian cell colony propagation dynamics on patterned substrates," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).

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