RT Journal Article
T1 Spatial self-organization in hybrid models of multicellular adhesion.
A1 Bonforti, Adriano
A1 Durán-Nebreda, Salva
A1 Montañez, Raúl
A1 Solé, Ricard V.
K1 Células - Adhesividad
K1 Modelos matemáticos
K1 Procesos estocásticos
K1 Ecología
AB Spatial self-organization emerges in distributed systems exhibiting local interactions when nonlinearities and the appropriate propagation of signals are at work. These kinds of phenomena can be modeled with different frameworks, typically cellular automata or reaction-diffusion systems. A different class of dynamical processes involves the correlated movement of agents over space, which can be mediated through chemotactic movement or minimization of cell-cell interaction energy. A classic example of the latter is given by the formation of spatially segregated assemblies when cells display differential adhesion. Here, we consider a new class of dynamical models, involving cell adhesion among two stochastically exchangeable cell states as a minimal model capable of exhibiting well-defined, ordered spatial patterns. Our results suggest that a whole space of pattern-forming rules is hosted by the combination of physical differential adhesion and the value of probabilities modulating cell phenotypic switching, showing that Turing-like patterns can be obtained without resorting to reaction-diffusion processes. If the model is expanded allowing cells to proliferate and die in an environment where diffusible nutrient and toxic waste are at play, different phases are observed, characterized by regularly spaced patterns. The analysis of the parameter space reveals that certain phases reach higher population levels than other modes of organization. A detailed exploration of the mean-field theory is also presented. Finally, we let populations of cells with different adhesion matrices compete for reproduction, showing that, in our model, structural organization can improve the fitness of a given cell population. The implications of these results for ecological and evolutionary models of pattern formation and the emergence of multicellularity are outlined.
PB American Institute of Physics
YR 2016
FD 2016-10-26
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10630/35331
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10630/35331
LA eng
NO https://openpolicyfinder.jisc.ac.uk/id/publication/9866
NO This work has been supported by the Botín Foundation by Banco Santander through its Santander Universities Global Division, a MINECO fellowship and by the Santa Fe Institute.
DS RIUMA. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Málaga
RD 21 ene 2026