title: Migration of cells in a social context.
abstract: In multicellular organisms and complex ecosystems, cells migrate in a social context. Whereas this is essential for the basic processes of life, the influence of neighboring cells on the individual remains poorly understood. Previous work on isolated cells has observed a stereotypical migratory behavior characterized by short-time directional persistence with long-time random movement. We discovered a much richer dynamic in the social context, with significant variations in directionality, displacement, and speed, which are all modulated by local cell density. We developed a mathematical model based on the experimentally identified "cellular traffic rules" and basic physics that revealed that these emergent behaviors are caused by the interplay of single-cell properties and intercellular interactions, the latter being dominated by a pseudopod formation bias mediated by secreted chemicals and pseudopod collapse following collisions. The model demonstrates how aspects of complex biology can be explained by simple rules of physics and constitutes a rapid test bed for future studies of collective migration of individual cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Micro- and Nanotechnology,  Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Kongens Lyngby,  Denmark.
authors.forename: Søren
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vedel
authors.forename: Savaş
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tay
authors.forename: Darius M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Johnston
authors.forename: Henrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bruus
authors.forename: Stephen R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Quake
mesh_terms: D055592:Biophysical Phenomena; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000502:physiology*; D002452:Cell Count; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D044085:Microfluidics; D008954:Models, Biological; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*