TY - JOUR
T1 - Mechanical Interaction between Cells Facilitates Molecular Transport
AU - Gomez, David
AU - Natan, Sari
AU - Shokef, Yair
AU - Lesman, Ayelet
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
PY - 2019/12/1
Y1 - 2019/12/1
N2 - In vivo, eukaryotic cells are embedded in a matrix environment, where they grow and develop. Generally, this extracellular matrix (ECM) is an anisotropic fibrous structure, through which macromolecules and biochemical signaling molecules at the nanometer scale diffuse. The ECM is continuously remodeled by cells, via mechanical interactions, which lead to a potential link between biomechanical and biochemical cell–cell interactions. Here, it is studied how cell-induced forces applied on the ECM impact the biochemical transport of molecules between distant cells. It is experimentally observed that cells remodel the ECM by increasing fiber alignment and density of the matrix between them over time. Using random walk simulations on a 3D lattice, elongated fixed obstacles are implemented that mimic the fibrous ECM structure. Both diffusion of a tracer molecule and the mean first-passage time a molecule secreted from one cell takes to reach another cell are measured. The model predicts that cell-induced remodeling can lead to a dramatic speedup in the transport of molecules between cells. Fiber alignment and densification cause reduction of the transport dimensionality from a 3D to a much more rapid 1D process. Thus, a novel mechanism of mechano-biochemical feedback in the regulation of long-range cell–cell communication is suggested.
AB - In vivo, eukaryotic cells are embedded in a matrix environment, where they grow and develop. Generally, this extracellular matrix (ECM) is an anisotropic fibrous structure, through which macromolecules and biochemical signaling molecules at the nanometer scale diffuse. The ECM is continuously remodeled by cells, via mechanical interactions, which lead to a potential link between biomechanical and biochemical cell–cell interactions. Here, it is studied how cell-induced forces applied on the ECM impact the biochemical transport of molecules between distant cells. It is experimentally observed that cells remodel the ECM by increasing fiber alignment and density of the matrix between them over time. Using random walk simulations on a 3D lattice, elongated fixed obstacles are implemented that mimic the fibrous ECM structure. Both diffusion of a tracer molecule and the mean first-passage time a molecule secreted from one cell takes to reach another cell are measured. The model predicts that cell-induced remodeling can lead to a dramatic speedup in the transport of molecules between cells. Fiber alignment and densification cause reduction of the transport dimensionality from a 3D to a much more rapid 1D process. Thus, a novel mechanism of mechano-biochemical feedback in the regulation of long-range cell–cell communication is suggested.
KW - cell–cell communication
KW - fibrous extracellular matrix
KW - mean first passage time
KW - molecular transport
KW - transport through porous media
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85074793282&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/adbi.201900192
DO - 10.1002/adbi.201900192
M3 - ???researchoutput.researchoutputtypes.contributiontojournal.article???
C2 - 32648678
AN - SCOPUS:85074793282
SN - 2701-0198
VL - 3
JO - Advanced Biosystems
JF - Advanced Biosystems
IS - 12
M1 - 1900192
ER -