Modeling cell crawling strategies with a bistable model: from amoeboid to fan-shaped cell motion

Abstract

Eukaryotic cell motility involves a complex network of interactions between biochemical components and mechanical processes. The cell employs this network to polarize and induce shape changes that give rise to membrane protrusions and retractions, ultimately leading to locomotion of the entire cell body. The combination of a nonlinear reaction–diffusion model of cell polarization, noisy bistable kinetics, and a dynamic phase field for the cell shape permits us to capture the key features of this complex system to investigate several motility scenarios, including amoeboid and fan-shaped forms as well as intermediate states with distinct displacement mechanisms. We compare the numerical simulations of our model to live cell imaging experiments of motile Dictyostelium discoideum cells under different developmental conditions. The dominant parameters of the mathematical model that determine the different motility regimes are identified and discussed.