Motility switching and front–back synchronisation in polarised cells

Abstract

The combination of protrusions and retractions in the movement of polarized cells leads to understand the effect of possible synchronisation between the two ends of the cells. This syn- chronisation, in turn, could lead to different dynamics such as normal and fractional diffusion. Departing from a stochastic single cell trajectory, where a “memory effect” induces persistent movement, we derive a kinetic-renewal system at the mesoscopic scale. We investigate various scenarios with different levels of complexity, where the two ends of the cell move either indepen- dently or with partial or full synchronisation. We study the relevant macroscopic limits where we obtain diffusion, drift-diffusion or fractional diffusion, depending on the initial system. This article clarifies the form of relevant macroscopic equations that describe the possible effects of synchronised movement in cells, and sheds light on the switching between normal and fractional diffusion.