Work

Junctional-fluctuation-mediated fluidization of multi-phase-field epithelial monolayers

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: We analyze a multi-phase-field model for an epithelial monolayer with pairwise adhesions between neighboring cells following an Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process, representing the stochastic turnover of junctional molecular motors. These fluctuations in junctional adhesion result in rearrangements in the tissue, fluidizing it and producing diffusive cell motion. Similar junctional fluctuations have proven a very useful tool in the vertex model literature, and we hope they will be equally helpful to the multi-phase-field model approach. Moreover, we observe that the cells' effective diffusion coefficient depends nonmonotonically on the persistence time of the fluctuations, confirming results previously observed in the vertex model.

Source: Physical review. E

DOI: 10.1103/lbph-g5kd

Authors: James N. Graham, Jan Rozman

Institutions: University of Oxford, University of Ljubljana, Jožef Stefan Institute, Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School

Language: English

Topic: Cellular Mechanics and Interactions

Subfield: Cell Biology

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Funders: UK Research and Innovation, Javna Agencija za Raziskovalno Dejavnost RS, Russian Science Foundation, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

Awards: G1462143256, G4009063175, ActBio: Exploiting the Parallels between Active Matter and Mechanobiology, Early-stage embryo as an active self-tuning soft material