Dresden 2020 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 18: Poster VI

BP 18.16: Poster

Tuesday, March 17, 2020, 14:00–16:00, P2/2OG

Quantification of the collective dynamics of endothelial cells in a two-dimensional confluent layer — •Anselm Hohlstamm, Mats Leif Moskopp, Andreas Deussen, and Peter Dieterich — Institut für Physiologie, Medizinische Fakultät, TU Dresden

Collective dynamics of confluent cells results from a complex interplay of single cell dynamics and cell-to-cell interactions. In order to better understand these processes, a quantitative analysis of cell movements is essential. Hence, we aim to quantify the migration activity of single cells influencing the whole cell collective. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were seeded and stained with low concentrations of a fluorescent dye. The cells were observed for up to 48 hours via time-lapse microscopy (dt = 10 min) and trajectories were obtained with an in-house developed image processing software. Typically, several 10.000 cell trajectories per experiment were detected within an area of 6 x 7 mm. HUVECs showed lively proliferation generating a confluent two-dimensional monolayer in a non-equilibrium situation. This process can be characterized by an exponential velocity distribution of the cells where the mean squared velocity showed a slow decrease. The mean squared displacement indicated a sub-diffusive behaviour. This is consistent with an increasing cell density forcing cells to localize their positions. Besides, the spatial velocity correlation function showed an exponential-like decrease with correlation lengths of around 60 µ m (∼3 cell diameters). In conclusion, we quantified the dynamics of confluent cells allowing us to evaluate the effects of humoral or pharmaceutical stimulations in future.