Contact inhibition of locomotion and mechanical cross-talk between cell-cell and cell-substrate adhesion determine the pattern of junctional tension in epithelial cell aggregates.

We used a computational approach to analyze the biomechanics of epithelial cell aggregates-islands, stripes, or entire monolayers-that combines both vertex and contact-inhibition-of-locomotion models to include cell-cell and cell-substrate adhesion. Examination of the distribution of cell protrusions (adhesion to the substrate) in the model predicted high-order profiles of cell organization that agree with those previously seen experimentally. Cells acquired an asymmetric distribution of basal protrusions, traction forces, and apical aspect ratios that decreased when moving from the edge to the island center. Our in silico analysis also showed that tension on cell-cell junctions and apical stress is not homogeneous across the island. Instead, these parameters are higher at the island center and scale up with island size, which we confirmed experimentally using laser ablation assays and immunofluorescence. Without formally being a three-dimensional model, our approach has the minimal elements necessary to reproduce the distribution of cellular forces and mechanical cross-talk, as well as the distribution of principal stress in cells within epithelial cell aggregates. By making experimentally testable predictions, our approach can aid in mechanical analysis of epithelial tissues, especially when local changes in cell-cell and/or cell-substrate adhesion drive collective cell behavior.

Modelling wound closure in an epithelial cell sheet using the cellular Potts model.

We use a two-dimensional cellular Potts model to represent the behavior of an epithelial cell layer and describe its dynamics in response to a microscopic wound. Using an energy function to describe properties of the cells, we found that the interaction between contractile tension along cell-cell junctions and cell-cell adhesion plays an important role not only in determining the dynamics and morphology of cells in the monolayer, but also in influencing whether or not a wound in the monolayer will close. Our results suggest that, depending on the balance between cell-cell adhesion and junctional tension, mechanics of the monolayer can either correspond to a hard or a soft regime that determines cell morphology and polygonal organization in the monolayer. Moreover, the presence of a wound in a hard regime, where junctional tension is significant, can lead to two results: (1) wound closure or (2) an initial increase and expansion of the wound area towards an equilibrium value. Theoretical approximations and simulations allowed us to determine the thresholds in the values of cell-cell adhesion and initial wound size that allow the system to lead to wound closure. Overall, our results suggest that around the site of injury, changes in the balance between contraction and adhesion determine whether or not non-monotonous wound closure occurs.