Curved edges in the vertex model increase tissue fluidity

Fuente: arXiv
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Auteurs principaux: Staddon, Michael F., Modes, Carl D.
Format: Preprint
Publié: 2024
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author Staddon, Michael F.
Modes, Carl D.
author_facet Staddon, Michael F.
Modes, Carl D.
contents The Vertex Model for epithelia models the apical surface of the tissue by a tiling, with polygons representing cells and edges representing cell-cell junctions. The mechanics are described by an energy governed by deviations from a target area and perimeter for each cell. It has been shown that the target perimeter, p0, governs a solid-to-fluid phase transition: when the target perimeter is low there is an energy barrier to rearrangement, and when it is high cells may rearrange for free and the tissue can flow like a liquid. One simplification often made is modelling junctions using straight edges. However, the Young-Laplace equation states that interfaces should be circular arcs, with the curvature being equal to the pressure difference between the neighbouring cells divided by the interfacial tension. Here, we investigate how including curved edges alters the mechanical properties of the vertex model and equilibrium shape of individual cells. Importantly, we show how curved edges shift the solid-to-fluid transition point, from $p0 = 3.81$ to $p0 = 3.73$, allowing tissues to fluidise sooner than in the traditional model with straight edges.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2410_06821
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Curved edges in the vertex model increase tissue fluidity
Staddon, Michael F.
Modes, Carl D.
Biological Physics
Tissues and Organs
The Vertex Model for epithelia models the apical surface of the tissue by a tiling, with polygons representing cells and edges representing cell-cell junctions. The mechanics are described by an energy governed by deviations from a target area and perimeter for each cell. It has been shown that the target perimeter, p0, governs a solid-to-fluid phase transition: when the target perimeter is low there is an energy barrier to rearrangement, and when it is high cells may rearrange for free and the tissue can flow like a liquid. One simplification often made is modelling junctions using straight edges. However, the Young-Laplace equation states that interfaces should be circular arcs, with the curvature being equal to the pressure difference between the neighbouring cells divided by the interfacial tension. Here, we investigate how including curved edges alters the mechanical properties of the vertex model and equilibrium shape of individual cells. Importantly, we show how curved edges shift the solid-to-fluid transition point, from $p0 = 3.81$ to $p0 = 3.73$, allowing tissues to fluidise sooner than in the traditional model with straight edges.
title Curved edges in the vertex model increase tissue fluidity
topic Biological Physics
Tissues and Organs
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2410.06821