Propagating stress waves during epithelial expansion
Abstract
Coordinated motion of cell monolayers during epithelial wound healing and tissue morphogenesis involves mechanical stress generation. Here we propose a model for the dynamics of epithelial expansion that couples mechanical deformations in the tissue to contractile activity and polarization in the cells. A new ingredient of our model is a feedback between local strain, polarization and contractility that naturally yields a mechanism for viscoelasticity and effective inertia in the cell monolayer. Using a combination of analytical and numerical techniques, we demonstrate that our model quantitatively reproduces many experimental findings [Nat. Phys. 8, 628 (2012)], including the build-up of intercellular stresses, and the existence of traveling mechanical waves guiding the oscillatory monolayer expansion.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1411.2258,
title = {Propagating stress waves during epithelial expansion},
author = {Shiladitya Banerjee and Kazage J. C. Utuje and M. Cristina Marchetti},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1411.2258},
year = {2015}
}
Comments
8 pages, 6 figures, added references, added more details in the supplementary information