Ricard Alert

Emergent structures and dynamics of cell colonies by contact inhibition of locomotion

 

The regular distribution of mesenchymal cells, the formation of epithelial monolayers, or their collapse into spheroidal tumors illustrates the broad range of possible organizations of cells in tissues. Unveiling a physical picture of their emergence and dynamics is of critical importance to understand tissue morphogenesis or cancer progression. Although the role of cell–substrate and cell–cell adhesion in the organization of cell colonies has been widely studied, the impact of the cell-type–specific contact inhibition of locomotion (CIL) remains unclear. Here, we include this interaction in simulations of active particles and find a number of structures and collective dynamics that recapitulate existing tissue phenotypes.We give analyti- cal predictions for the epithelial–mesenchymal transition and the formation of 3D aggregates as a function of cell–cell adhesion and CIL strengths. Thus, our findings shed light on the physical mechanisms underlying multicellular organization.