Collective effects in cellular structure formation mediated by compliant environments: a Monte Carlo study

TL;DR

This study uses Monte Carlo simulations to explore how compliant environments influence cellular structure formation, revealing transitions between disordered and ordered states depending on physical parameters.

Contribution

It introduces a phenomenological model combined with Monte Carlo simulations to predict complex cell community structures on elastic substrates, highlighting key transition controls.

Findings

Disordered, string-like, and ring-like structures observed.

Transitions controlled by cell density, noise, and Poisson ratio.

Healthy tissue can switch between ordered and disordered states.

Abstract

Compliant environments can mediate interactions between mechanically active cells like fibroblasts. Starting with a phenomenological model for the behaviour of single cells, we use extensive Monte Carlo simulations to predict non-trivial structure formation for cell communities on soft elastic substrates as a function of elastic moduli, cell density, noise and cell position geometry. In general, we find a disordered structure as well as ordered string-like and ring-like structures. The transition between ordered and disordered structures is controlled both by cell density and noise level, while the transition between string- and ring-like ordered structures is controlled by the Poisson ratio. Similar effects are observed in three dimensions. Our results suggest that in regard to elastic effects, healthy connective tissue usually is in a macroscopically disordered state, but can be switched to a macroscopically ordered state by appropriate parameter variations, in a way that is reminiscent of wound contraction or diseased states like contracture.