Spatial structure arising from neighbour-dependent bias in collective cell movement.

ABSTRACT: Mathematical models of collective cell movement often neglect the effects of spatial structure, such as clustering, on the population dynamics. Typically, they assume that individuals interact with one another in proportion to their average density (the mean-field assumption) which means that cell-cell interactions occurring over short spatial ranges are not accounted for. However, in vitro cell culture studies have shown that spatial correlations can play an important role in determining collective behaviour. Here, we take a combined experimental and modelling approach to explore how individual-level interactions give rise to spatial structure in a moving cell population. Using imaging data from in vitro experiments, we quantify the extent of spatial structure in a population of 3T3 fibro

SUBMITTER: Binny RN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4756733 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature