Cell-cell collisions: Wetting, speed, and acceleration

Collective cell migration is crucial to many biological functions and is controlled by cell-cell interactions, often studied by colliding cell pairs. Geometry of contact can further affect these contact-based interactions. A recent study on colliding epithelial cells suggests that cells with smaller contact angles to the substrate and larger speeds are more likely to maintain their direction upon a collision (“win”) [1]. Can we predict collision outcomes by leveraging cell shape and speed? We investigate this question by simulating two-body cell collisions within the phase field model. Under two distinct polarity mechanisms, we reproduce the observed results of faster and flatter cells winning more consistently. Additionally, we identify summary variables that faithfully predict collision outcomes across a vast spectrum of cell attributes. If outcomes are predictable, can we discover an experimentally accessible predictor? Recent work suggests that the dynamics of epithelial cells can be captured by their acceleration maps [2]. Within our phase field framework, we investigate whether the cell’s acceleration can be a predictor of its collision dynamics.

[1] Jain, Cachoux, Narayana, et. al, Nature Physics 2020

[2] Bruckner, Arlt, Fink, et al, PNAS 2021