Flow-wave coupling synchronizes oscillations in growing active matter

TL;DR

This study uncovers how mechanical forces and biochemical oscillations interact in active matter, demonstrating that mechanochemical feedback stabilizes wave propagation and long-range order in developing systems.

Contribution

It introduces a minimal model showing how size-dependent mechanics and feedback stabilize phase waves in oscillating active matter, a novel insight into developmental biophysics.

Findings

Mechanical forces actively maintain biochemical wave coherence.

Size-dependent interactions generate flows aligned with waves.

A feedback mechanism stabilizes long-range oscillations.

Abstract

Oscillatory biochemical signals and mechanical forces must coordinate robustly during development, yet the principles governing their mutual coupling remain poorly understood. In syncytial embryos and cell-free extracts, mitotic waves propagate across millimeter scales while simultaneously generating cytoplasmic flows, suggesting a two-way interaction between chemical oscillators and mechanics. Here, we combine experiments in Xenopus Laevis cytoplasmic extracts with a minimal particle-based model to reveal a mechanochemical feedback that stabilizes phase wave propagation. In contrast to previous models of oscillatory active matter, an asymmetric size cycle, slow growth and rapid shrinkage, combined with size-dependent mechanical interactions generates a net particle displacement and flows aligned with the wave direction, which in turn drive a synchronization transition. Our results show that mechanical forces actively maintain the coherence of biochemical waves, providing a general mechanism for long-range order in oscillating active matter.