Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia.
Faculty of Civil Engineering, Transportation Engineering and Architecture, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia.
Phys Rev Lett. 2021 Oct 15;127(16):168101. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.127.168101.
β cells are biologically essential for humans and other vertebrates. Because their functionality arises from cell-cell interactions, they are also a model system for collective organization among cells. There are currently two contradictory pictures of this organization: the hub-cell idea pointing at leaders who coordinate the others, and the electrophysiological theory describing all cells as equal. We use new data and computational modeling to reconcile these pictures. We find via a network representation of interacting β cells that leaders emerge naturally (confirming the hub-cell idea), yet all cells can take the hub role following a perturbation (in line with electrophysiology).
β 细胞对于人类和其他脊椎动物来说是必不可少的。由于它们的功能来自于细胞间的相互作用，因此它们也是细胞间集体组织的模型系统。目前，对于这种组织有两种相互矛盾的观点：集线器细胞理论认为存在协调其他细胞的领导者，而电生理学理论则描述所有细胞都是平等的。我们使用新的数据和计算模型来调和这些观点。我们通过相互作用的β 细胞的网络表示发现，领导者自然会出现（证实了集线器细胞的观点），但在受到干扰后，所有细胞都可以扮演集线器的角色（与电生理学一致）。
