The nonlinear motion of cells subject to external forces

Ioratim-Uba, A.; Loisy, A.; Henkes, S.E.; Liverpool, T.B. (2022)

Article / Letter to editor

To develop a minimal model for a cell moving in a crowded environment such as in tissue, we investigate the response of a liquid drop of active matter moving on a flat rigid substrate to forces applied at its boundaries. Our model incorporates active stresses due to a prescribed orientation profile of the cytoskeleton, coupling with the substrate, surface tension and imposed boundary forces. We find a highly non-linear response to forces that we characterise using the drop velocity, its shape, and the traction between the drop and the substrate. There are two main modes of motion: a long and thin drop with zero traction in the bulk, mostly occurring under strong stretching forces, and a parabolic drop with finite traction in the bulk, mostly occurring under strong squeezing forces. There is a sharp transition between these two modes as a function of the applied forces and indications of drop break-up where large forces stretch the drop in opposite directions.

• All authors: Ioratim-Uba, A.; Loisy, A.; Henkes, S.E.; Liverpool, T.B.
• Date: 2022-11-10
• Journal: Soft Matter
• Volume: 18
• Issue: 47
• Pages: 9008 - 9016
• DOI: doi:10.1039/d2sm00934j