Cell-based simulations of biased epithelial lung growth


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Date

2019-12-12

Publication Type

Journal Article

ETH Bibliography

yes

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Abstract

During morphogenesis, epithelial tubes elongate. in the case of the mammalian lung, biased elongation has been linked to a bias in cell shape and cell division, but it has remained unclear whether a bias in cell shape along the axis of outgrowth is sufficient for biased outgrowth and how it arises. Here, we use our 2D cell-based tissue simulation software $\mathtt{ LBIBCell }$ to investigate the conditions for biased epithelial outgrowth. We show that the observed bias in cell shape and cell division can result in the observed bias in outgrowth only in the case of strong cortical tension, and comparison to biological data suggests that the cortical tension in epithelia is likely sufficient. We explore mechanisms that may result in the observed bias in cell division and cell shapes. To this end, we test the possibility that the surrounding tissue or extracellular matrix acts as a mechanical constraint that biases growth in the longitudinal direction. While external compressive forces can result in the observed bias in outgrowth, we find that they do not result in the observed bias in cell shapes. We conclude that other mechanisms must exist that generate the bias in lung epithelial outgrowth.

Publication status

published

Editor

Book title

Volume

17 (1)

Pages / Article No.

16006

Publisher

IOP Publishing

Event

Edition / version

Methods

Software

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Date created

Subject

Organisational unit

03791 - Iber, Dagmar / Iber, Dagmar check_circle

Notes

Funding

170930 - A 3D Cell-Based Simulation Framework for Morphogenetic Problems (SNF)

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