No Arabic abstract
Understanding the segregation of cells is crucial to answer questions about tissue formation in embryos or tumor progression. Steinberg proposed that separation of cells can be compared to the separation of two liquids. Such a separation is well described by the Cahn-Hilliard (CH) equations and the segregation indices exhibit an algebraic decay with exponent 1/3 with respect to time. However, experimental cell segregation data also reveals other scaling exponents and even slow logarithmic scaling laws. These discrepancies are commonly attributed to the effects of collective motion or velocity-dependent interactions. By using a cellular automaton (CA) model which implements a dynamic variant of the differential adhesion hypothesis, we demonstrate that it is possible to reproduce biological cell segregation experiments from Mehes et al. with just adhesive forces. The segregation in the CA model follows a logarithmic scaling, which is in contrast to the proposed algebraic scaling with exponent 1/3. However, within the less than two orders of magnitudes in time which are observable in the experiments, a logarithmic scaling may appear as a pseudo-algebraic scaling. In particular, we demonstrate that the CA model can exhibit a range of exponents $leq$ 1/3 for such a pseudo-algebraic scaling. Additionally, we reproduce the experimental data with segregation of the CH model, although the CH model matches in an intermittent regime, where it exhibits an algebraic scaling with an exponent 1/4, which is smaller than the asymptotic exponent of 1/3. This corroborates the ambiguity of the scaling behavior, when segregation processes are only observed on short time spans.
This paper proposes a model for the growth two interacting populations of cells that do not mix. The dynamics is driven by pressure and cohesion forces on the one hand and proliferation on the other hand. Following earlier works on the single population case, we show that the model approximates a free boundary Hele Shaw type model that we characterise using both analytical and numerical arguments.
Massive single-cell profiling efforts have accelerated our discovery of the cellular composition of the human body, while at the same time raising the need to formalise this new knowledge. Here, we review current cell ontology efforts to harmonise and integrate different sources of annotations of cell types and states. We illustrate with examples how a unified ontology can consolidate and advance our understanding of cell types across scientific communities and biological domains.
Triple-Negative Basal-Like tumors, representing 15 to 20% of breast cancers, are very aggressive and with poor prognosis. Targeted therapies have been developed extensively in preclinical and clinical studies to open the way for new treatment strategies. The present study has focused on developing 3D cell cultures from SUM1315 and MDA-MB-231, two triple-negative basal-like (TNBL) breast cancer cell lines, using the liquid overlay technique. Extracellular matrix concentration, cell density, proliferation, cell viability, topology and ultrastructure parameters were determined. The results showed that for both cell lines, the best conditioning regimen for compact and homogeneous spheroid formation was to use 1000 cells per well and 2% Geltrex. This conditioning regimen highlighted two 3D cell models: non-proliferative SUM1315 spheroids and proliferative MDA-MB-231 spheroids. In both cell lines, the comparison of 2D vs 3D cell culture viability in the presence of increasing concentrations of chemotherapeutic agents i.e. cisplatin, docetaxel and epirubicin, showed that spheroids were clearly less sensitive than monolayer cell cultures. Moreover, a proliferative or non-proliferative 3D cell line property would enable determination of cytotoxic and/or cytostatic drug activity. 3D cell culture could be an excellent tool in addition to the arsenal of techniques currently used in preclinical studies. http://www.impactjournals.com/oncotarget/ Oncotarget, Advance Publications 2017
We study the behavior of five proteins at the air-water and oil-water interfaces by all-atom molecular dynamics. The proteins are found to get distorted when pinned to the interface. This behavior is consistent with the phenomenological way of introducing the interfaces in a coarse-grained model through a force that depends on the hydropathy indices of the residues. Proteins couple to the oil-water interface stronger than to the air- water one. They diffuse slower at the oil-water interface but do not depin from it, whereas depinning events are observed at the other interface. The reduction of the disulfide bonds slows the diffusion down.
We present a stochastic model which describes fronts of cells invading a wound. In the model cells can move, proliferate, and experience cell-cell adhesion. We find several qualitatively different regimes of front motion and analyze the transitions between them. Above a critical value of adhesion and for small proliferation large isolated clusters are formed ahead of the front. This is mapped onto the well-known ferromagnetic phase transition in the Ising model. For large adhesion, and larger proliferation the clusters become connected (at some fixed time). For adhesion below the critical value the results are similar to our previous work which neglected adhesion. The results are compared with experiments, and possible directions of future work are proposed.