Dresden 2011 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 10: Posters: Tissue Dynamics \& Developmental Processes

BP 10.9: Poster

Monday, March 14, 2011, 17:15–20:00, P3

Active fluid: cell-substrate adhesion and cell density co-operatively drive and regulate collective cell migration. — •Kenechukwu David Nnetu, Melanie Knorr, Dan Strehle, Thomas Fuhs, Florian Huber, and Josef Käs — Institut für Experimentelle Physik I, University of Leipzig, Linnéstr 5, 04103, Leipzig, Germany

The collective movement of cells is important for physiological processes such as embryogenesis, cancer metastasis and wound healing. Recent studies showed that marginal and sub-marginal cells drive sheet migrations by generating traction forces transmitted through cell-cell coupling while interfacial tension maintains cohesiveness. By studying the dynamics of sheet migration in 3 dimensions, we show for the first time that collectively, cells spread like a fluid with surface tension playing no role in maintaining dynamic collectivity. We observed further that, reductions in cell height and density led to a loss in cohesion. Moreover, in comparison to single-cell migration, neighboring cells in sheet migration ratify the randomness in single-cell migration into a ballistic motion. These findings together suggest that on 2 dimensional substrates, cell-substrate adhesion drives sheet migration while cell density and intercellular signaling predominantly regulate collectivity as the monolayer spreads like a fluid.