Streaming instability in growing cell populations.
Flows of cells growing as a quasimonolayer in a confined space can exhibit streaming, with narrow streams of fast-moving cells flowing around clusters of slowly moving cells. We observed and analyzed this phenomenon experimentally for E. coli bacteria proliferating in a microfluidic cell trap using time-lapse microscopy. We also performed continuum modeling and discrete-element simulations to elucidate the mechanism behind the streaming instability. Our analysis demonstrates that streaming can be explained by the interplay between the slow adaptation of a cell to its local microenvironment and its mobility due to changes of cell-substrate contact forces.
Mather
William
W
Department of Bioengineering, UCSD, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, California 92093-0412, USA.
Mondragón-Palomino
Octavio
O
Danino
Tal
T
Hasty
Jeff
J
Tsimring
Lev S
LS
D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation*; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000166:cytology*; D057446:Hydrodynamics; D046210:Microfluidic Analytical Techniques; D008853:Microscopy; D013997:Time Factors