Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: We study a mixture of extensile and contractile cells using a vertex model extended to include active nematic stresses. The two cell populations phase separate over time. While phase separation strengthens monotonically with an increasing magnitude of contractile activity, the dependence on extensile activity is nonmonotonic, so that sufficiently high values reduce the extent of sorting. We interpret this by showing that extensile activity renders the system motile, enabling cells to undergo neighbor exchanges. Contractile cells that come into contact as a result are then more likely to stay connected due to an effective attraction arising from contractile activity.
Source: Physical Review Letters
Authors: Jan Rozman, Julia M. Yeomans
Institution: University of Oxford
Language: English
Subfield: Cell Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,750
OpenAlex ID: W4405239265