Grid-free models of multicellular systems, with an application to large-scale vortices accompanying primitive streak formation. / Newman, Timothy J.
Multiscale modeling of developmental systems. ed. / Santiago Schnell; Philip K. Maini; Stuart A. Newman; Timothy J. Newman. London : Academic Press, 2008. p. 157-182 (Current topics in developmental biology ).Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter
}
TY - CHAP
T1 - Grid-free models of multicellular systems, with an application to large-scale vortices accompanying primitive streak formation
A1 - Newman,Timothy J.
AU - Newman,Timothy J.
PB - Academic Press
CY - London
PY - 2008
Y1 - 2008
N2 - <p>This paper is comprised of two parts. In the first we provide a brief overview of grid-free methods for modeling multicellular systems. We focus on an approach based on Langevin equations, in which inertia is ignored, and stochastic effects on cell motion are included. The discussion starts with simpler models, in which cells are modeled as adhesive spheres. We then turn to more sophisticated approaches in which nontrivial cell shape is accommodated, including the recently introduced Subcellular Element Model, in which each cell is described as a cluster of adhesively coupled over-damped subeellular elements, representing patches of cytoskeleton. In the second part of the paper we illustrate the use of a standard grid-free cell-based model to computationally probe interesting new features associated with primitive streak formation in the chick embryo. Streak formation is a key developmental step in amniotes (i.e., birds, reptiles, and mammals), and can be observed in detail in the chick embryo, where the streak extends across a tightly-packed two-dimensional sheet (the epiblast) comprised of about 50,000 cells. The Weijer group [Cui, Yang, Chuai, Glazier, and Weijer, Dev. Biol. 284 (2005) 37-47] recently observed that streak formation is accompanied by coordinated cell movement lateral to the streak, resulting in two large counter-rotating vortices. We study a mechanism based on cell polarity (in the plane of the epiblast) that provides an explanation for these vortices, and test it successfully using computer simulations. This mechanism is robust, since the emergent vortex formation depends only on the gross features of the initial spatial distribution of planar polarity in the epiblast. (c) 2008, Elsevier Inc.</p>
AB - <p>This paper is comprised of two parts. In the first we provide a brief overview of grid-free methods for modeling multicellular systems. We focus on an approach based on Langevin equations, in which inertia is ignored, and stochastic effects on cell motion are included. The discussion starts with simpler models, in which cells are modeled as adhesive spheres. We then turn to more sophisticated approaches in which nontrivial cell shape is accommodated, including the recently introduced Subcellular Element Model, in which each cell is described as a cluster of adhesively coupled over-damped subeellular elements, representing patches of cytoskeleton. In the second part of the paper we illustrate the use of a standard grid-free cell-based model to computationally probe interesting new features associated with primitive streak formation in the chick embryo. Streak formation is a key developmental step in amniotes (i.e., birds, reptiles, and mammals), and can be observed in detail in the chick embryo, where the streak extends across a tightly-packed two-dimensional sheet (the epiblast) comprised of about 50,000 cells. The Weijer group [Cui, Yang, Chuai, Glazier, and Weijer, Dev. Biol. 284 (2005) 37-47] recently observed that streak formation is accompanied by coordinated cell movement lateral to the streak, resulting in two large counter-rotating vortices. We study a mechanism based on cell polarity (in the plane of the epiblast) that provides an explanation for these vortices, and test it successfully using computer simulations. This mechanism is robust, since the emergent vortex formation depends only on the gross features of the initial spatial distribution of planar polarity in the epiblast. (c) 2008, Elsevier Inc.</p>
KW - Cell movement
KW - Patterns
KW - Growth
U2 - 10.1016/S0070-2153(07)81005-2
DO - 10.1016/S0070-2153(07)81005-2
M1 - Chapter
SN - 9780123742537
BT - Multiscale modeling of developmental systems
T2 - Multiscale modeling of developmental systems
A2 - Newman,Timothy J.
ED - Newman,Timothy J.
T3 - Current topics in developmental biology
T3 - en_GB
SP - 157
EP - 182
ER -