2025/05/28 by Jiayi Liu, Jonathan E. Ron, Liu, Jiayi +15
Engineering · Materials Science · #3D Printing in Biomedical Research #Biological Physics (physics.bio-ph) #Cell Behavior (q-bio.CB) #Collagen: Extraction and Characterization #Diatoms and Algae Research #FOS: Biological sciences #FOS: Physical sciences
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2505.21949
openalex publication_date 2025/05/28 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Cell migration in vivo is often guided by chemical signals. Such chemotaxis, such as performed by immune cells migrating to a wound site, is complicated by the complex geometry inside living tissues. In this study, we extend our theoretical model of branched-cell migration on a network by introducing chemokine sources to explore the cellular response. The model predicts a speed-accuracy tradeoff, whereby slow cells are significantly more accurate and able to follow efficiently a weak chemoattractant signal. We then compare the model's predictions with experimental observations of neutrophils migrating to the site of laser-inflicted wound in a zebrafish larva fin, and migrating in-vitro inside a regular lattice of pillars. We find that the model captures the details of the sub-cellular response to the chemokine gradient, as well as the large-scale migration response. This comparison suggests that the neutrophils behave as fast cells, compromising their chemotaxis accuracy, which explains the functionality of these immune cells.