Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado, Boulder, 80309, USA.
Biomech Model Mechanobiol. 2010 Oct;9(5):573-81. doi: 10.1007/s10237-010-0198-6. Epub 2010 Mar 4.
Cell locomotion is a result of a series of synchronized chemo-mechanical processes. Previous extensive experimental studies have revealed many chemo-mechanical processes that may contribute to cell locomotion. In parallel, theoretical works have been developed to provide deeper insight. To date, however, direct simulations of cell locomotion on a substrate have not been seen. In this paper, a finite element-based computational model is developed to study amoeboid type of cell crawling phenomenon. Here, a cell is modeled as a 2D fluid-filled elastic vesicle, which establishes its interaction with a rigid substrate through a kinetics-based cellular adhesion model. The cell derives its motion through a differential bond breaking at the trailing edge and bond formation at the leading edge. This mechanism of crawling authenticates the hypothesis that cell locomotion can be facilitated by breaking the adhesive bonds at the rear edge, which was initially proposed by Chen (J Cell Biol 90: 187-200, 1981).
细胞运动是一系列协同的化学力学过程的结果。以前的大量实验研究揭示了许多可能有助于细胞运动的化学力学过程。与此同时，理论工作也在不断发展，以提供更深入的见解。然而，到目前为止，还没有看到在基质上对细胞运动进行直接模拟的研究。在本文中，我们开发了一种基于有限元的计算模型来研究变形虫样细胞爬行现象。在这里，将细胞建模为二维充满流体的弹性囊泡，通过基于动力学的细胞黏附模型与刚性基底建立相互作用。细胞通过在尾部差分键断裂和在头部差分键形成来获得运动。这种爬行机制证实了Chen 的假说，即通过破坏后缘的黏附键可以促进细胞运动，Chen 的假说最初发表在《细胞生物学杂志》（J Cell Biol 90: 187-200, 1981）上。
