Self-propelled deformable particle model for keratocyte galvanotaxis

TL;DR

This paper presents a phenomenological model of keratocyte galvanotaxis that captures various cell behaviors, including circular motion and oscillations, influenced by cell shape, speed, and electric field dynamics.

Contribution

The authors developed a coarse-grained model linking cell shape, velocity, and electric field response, explaining diverse keratocyte behaviors during galvanotaxis.

Findings

Stiff, slow cells react slowly but follow signals reliably.

Fast-reacting cells polarize and align more quickly.

Cells follow average or staircase field patterns depending on switching speed.

Abstract

During wound healing, fish keratocyte cells undergo galvanotaxis where they follow a wound-induced electric field. In addition to their stereotypical persistent motion, keratocytes can develop circular motion without a field or oscillate around the field direction. We developed a coarse-grained phenomenological model that captures these keratocyte behaviors. We fit this model to experimental data on keratocyte response to an electric field being turned on. A critical element of our model is a tendency for cells to turn toward their long axis, arising from a coupling between cell shape and velocity, which gives rise to oscillatory and circular motion. Galvanotaxis is influenced not only by the field-dependent responses, but also cell speed and cell shape relaxation rate. When the cell reacts to an electric field being turned on, our model predicts that stiff, slow cells react slowly but follow the signal reliably. Cells that polarize and align to the field at a faster rate react more quickly and follow the signal more reliably. When cells are exposed to a field that switches direction rapidly, cells follow the average of field directions, while if the field is switched more slowly, cells follow a "staircase" pattern.