EML webinar overview: Dynamics of collective cells

Abstract Cell dynamics is of crucial significance for the morphogenesis, self-repair, and other physiological and pathological processes of tissues. Collective cells exhibit greatly different dynamic behaviors from isolated cells. In this lecture, some recent advances in experimental and theoretical researches on collective cell dynamics will be presented, with particular attention paid to the biomechanical mechanisms underlying the morphomechanics of developing embryos and tumors. First, a cell division model is established for the division of interconnecting cells in a biological tissue. Coupled mechanical–chemical mechanisms involved in the multi-phase cell division are taken into account. Second, we explain why spontaneous oscillation of collective cells may occur in such biological tissues as Drosophila amnioserosa during development. It is revealed that the collective cell oscillation in an epithelium-like monolayer results from the dynamic bifurcation induced by negative feedback between mechanical strains and chemical cues. Further, we combine experimental measurements, theoretical analysis, and numerical simulations to investigate the migration modes and the underlying biomechanical mechanisms of collective cells. Universal statistical laws are derived for such dynamic parameters as energies and velocities of collective cells. EML Webinar speakers and videos are updated at https://imechanica.org/node/24098