Synchronization and jamming in physically interacting excitable cells

Migratory cells exhibit a wide range of dynamic phenotypes such as unidirectionally guided motion, oscillatory motion, and random motion. A coupled activator-inhibitor model, known commonly as an excitable system, can capture the full range of dynamic phenotypes. Excitable systems have been shown to be consistent with the dynamics of actin regulatory proteins that directly affect the forces generated by a cell. In order to fully understand how cells collectively interact, we must model the internal dynamics that underlie their physical interactions. To this aim, we integrate an excitable system model into the existing multi-phase model of cell motility and interaction. We show that through only physical interactions, the cells are able to synchronize their internal dynamics. Finally, we show that the jamming transition depends on the excitable dynamics. Understanding these interactions can help explain how cells coordinate for wound healing and cancer metastasis.