Confinement-Induced Transition between Wavelike Collective Cell Migration Modes

International audienceThe structural and functional organization of biological tissues relies on the intricate interplay between chemical and mechanical signaling. Whereas the role of constant and transient mechanical perturbations is generally accepted, several studies recently highlighted the existence of longrange mechanical excitations (i.e., waves) at the supracellular level. Here, we confine epithelial cell mono-layers to quasi-one dimensional geometries, to force the establishment of tissue-level waves of well-defined wavelength and period. Numerical simulations based on a self-propelled Voronoi model reproduce the observed waves and exhibit a phase transition between a global and a multi-nodal wave, controlled by the confinement size. We conrm experimentally the existence of such a phasetransition, and show that wavelength and period are independent of the confinement length. Together, these results demonstrate the intrinsic origin of tissue oscillations, which could provide cells with a mechanism to accurately measure distances at the supracellular level

Transition entre des modes oscillatoires de migration cellulaire induite par le confinement

The ability of organisms to spontaneously generate order relies on the intricate interplay of mechanical and bio-chemical signals. If the general consensus is that chemical signaling governs the behavior of cells, an increasing amount of evidence points towards the impact of mechanical factors into differentiation, proliferation, motility and cancer progression. In this context, several studies recently highlighted the existence of long-range mechanical excitations (i.e. waves) at the supra-cellular level.Here, we investigate the origins of those velocity waves in tissues and their correlation with the presence of boundaries. Practically, we confine epithelial cell mono-layers to quasi-one dimensional geometries, to force the almost ubiquitous establishment of tissue-level waves. By tuning the length of the tissues, we uncover the existence of a phase transition between global and multi-nodal oscillations, and prove that in the latter regime, wavelength and period are independent of the confinement length. Together, these results demonstrate the intrinsic origin of tissue oscillations, which could provide cells with a mechanism to accurately measure distances at the supra-cellular level and ultimately lead to spatial patterning. Numerical simulations based on a Self-propelled Voronoi model reproduce the phase transition we measured experimentally and help in guiding our preliminary investigations on the origin of these wave-like phenomena, and their potential role for the spontaneous appearance of hair follicles in mouse skin explants.La capacité des cellules à générer spontanément de l'ordre a l’échelle supra cellulaire repose sur l'interaction de signaux mécaniques et biochimiques. Si le consensus général est que la signalisation chimique est le régulateur principal du comportement cellulaire, il est aujourd’hui bien établi que l'impact des facteurs mécaniques est primordial sur des processus fondamentaux de la physiologie cellulaire tel que la différenciation, la prolifération, la motilité et qu’une dérégulation des paramètres mécaniques du microenvironnement des cellules sont impliqués dans un grand nombre de pathologies allant du cancer aux myopathies. Dans ce contexte, plusieurs études ont récemment mis en évidence l'existence d’ondes mécaniques se propageant à l’échelle supra-cellulaire.Nous étudions dans le cadre de cette thèse l'origine de ces ondes de vitesse dans les tissus et discutons leur origine biologique. En pratique, nous confinons des monocouches de cellules épithéliales à des géométries quasi unidimensionnelles, pour forcer l'établissement presque omniprésent d'ondes au niveau tissulaire. En accordant la longueur des tissus, nous découvrons l'existence d'une transition de phase entre les oscillations globales et multi-nodales, et prouvons que dans ce dernier régime, longueur d'onde et période sont indépendantes de la longueur de confinement. Ces résultats démontrent que l’origine de ces oscillations est intrinsèque au système biologique, ce mécanisme apparait comme un candidat pertinent permettant aux cellules de mesurer avec précision des distances au niveau supra-cellulaire et potentiellement de structurer spatialement un tissu. Des simulations numériques basées sur un modèle de type Self-propelled Voronoi reproduisent la transition de phase que nous avons observé expérimentalement et aident à guider nos recherches sur l'origine de ces phénomènes ondulatoires et leur rôle potentiel dans l'apparition spontanée des follicules pileux dans les explants cutanés des souris

Structure and dynamics of multicellular assemblies measured by coherent light scattering

International audienceDetermining the structure and the internal dynamics of tissues is essential to understand their functional organization. Microscopy allows monitoring positions and trajectories of every single cell. Those data are useful to extract statistical observables, such intercellular distance, tissue symmetry and anisotropy, and cell motility. However, this procedure requires a large and supervised computational effort. In addition, due to the large cross-section of cells, the light scattering limits the use of microscopy to relatively thin samples. As an alternative approach, we propose to take advantage of light scattering and to analyze the dynamical diffraction pattern produced by a living tissue illuminated with coherent light. In this article, we illustrate with few examples that supra-cellular structures produce an exploitable diffraction signal. From the diffraction signal, we deduce the mean distance between cells, the anisotropy of the supra-cellular organization and, from its fluctuations, the mean speed of moving cells. This easy to implement technique considerably reduces analysis time, allowing real time monitoring

Structure and dynamics of multicellular assemblies measured by coherent light scattering

International audienceDetermining the structure and the internal dynamics of tissues is essential to understand their functional organization. Microscopy allows monitoring positions and trajectories of every single cell. Those data are useful to extract statistical observables, such intercellular distance, tissue symmetry and anisotropy, and cell motility. However, this procedure requires a large and supervised computational effort. In addition, due to the large cross-section of cells, the light scattering limits the use of microscopy to relatively thin samples. As an alternative approach, we propose to take advantage of light scattering and to analyze the dynamical diffraction pattern produced by a living tissue illuminated with coherent light. In this article, we illustrate with few examples that supra-cellular structures produce an exploitable diffraction signal. From the diffraction signal, we deduce the mean distance between cells, the anisotropy of the supra-cellular organization and, from its fluctuations, the mean speed of moving cells. This easy to implement technique considerably reduces analysis time, allowing real time monitoring