Mechanosensing model of fibroblast cells adhered on a substrate with varying stiffness and thickness
Mechanosensing model of fibroblast cells adhered on a substrate with varying stiffness and thickness
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DOI：
10.1016/j.jmps.2022.105137
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发表时间：
2022-11-21
影响因子：
5.3
通讯作者：
Chen，Jinju
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Yang，Wenjian;Luo，Ma;Chen，Jinju
细胞对周围材料的机械感应对于其生理和病理过程至关重要。然而，由于缺乏用于定量理解的综合建模技术，引导细胞反应的材料设计很大程度上是临时的。在本文中，我们提出了一种计算模型来研究种植在不同硬度和厚度的弹性水凝胶基底上的成纤维细胞的机械传感。我们考虑细胞对机械信号的感知机制，包括基质的刚性和变形，以及邻近细胞的牵引力，它们调节应力纤维和粘着斑的主动变化。该模型使我们能够预测基底刚度和厚度对应力纤维形成和解离以及亲和力整合素密度的耦合影响。我们还研究了细胞大小和基质厚度对成纤维细胞机械传感的综合影响。结果表明，细胞可以通过使下面的基底变形来感知其邻近的细胞。我们的模拟还提供了集体细胞机械传感能力增强的物理见解。目前的建模框架不仅对于深刻理解细胞机械传感很重要，而且有可能指导组织工程和伤口愈合生物材料的合理设计。
Mechanosensing of cells to the surrounding material is crucial for their physiological and pathological processes. However, materials design to guide cellular responses is largelyad hocdue to the lack of comprehensive modelling techniques for quantitative understanding. In this paper, we propose a computational model to study the mechanosensing of fibroblast cells seeded on elastic hydrogel substrates with different stiffness and thickness. We consider the sensing mechanisms of cells to mechanical cues, including the rigidity and deformation of the substrate, and the traction forces of neighboring cells, which regulate the active changes of stress fibers and focal adhesions. This model allows us to predict the coupled effects of substrate stiffness and thickness on stress fiber formation and disassociation, and affinity integrin density. We also examine the combined effect of cell size and substrate thickness on the mechanosensing of fibroblast cells. The results reveal that a cell can sense its neighboring cell by deforming the underlying substrate. Our simulations also provide physical insights in the enhanced mechanosensing capacity of collective cells. The present modelling framework is not only important for profound understanding of cell mechanosensing, but also has the potential to guide the rationale design of biomaterials for tissue engineering and wound healing.