Title:
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Continuum modelling of cell-cell adhesion
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Cells adhere to each other through the binding of cell adhesion molecules at the cell
surface. This process, known as cell-cell adhesion, is fundamental in many areas of
biology, including early embryo development, tissue homeostasis and tumour growth.
Here \~e present a new continuum mathematical model of this phenomenon by considering
· the movement of cells in response to the adhesive forces generated through
binding. We demonstrate that the model predicts aggregative behaviour, characteristic
of an adhesive cell population. Further, when extended to two cell populations, the
model predicts cell sorting behaviour dependent on the strengths of adhesive bonds
between cells. While cell sorting has been demonstrated previously with discrete approaches,
we believe that this is the first continuous model to capture this behaviour.
In the latter part of this work we apply the model of cell-cell adhesion to somitogenesis
and tumour growth. In applying the model to somitogenesis we demonstrate
that the model predicts somite formation under particular parameter constraints.
We suggest that these parameter constraints may provide a means by which to test
competing theories of the mechanisms responsible for somitogenesis. In applying the
model to tumour growth and invasion we demonstrate that the model predicts that
mutations which alter cells adhesive properties have a significant influence on tumour
dynamics. In particular, the model predicts that irregular invasion patterns are the
consequence of increased cell-matrix adhesion and an inhomogeneous host environment.
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