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Modelling cell motility and chemotaxis with evolving surface finite elements

journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-08, 14:02 authored by Charles M Elliott, Björn Stinner, Chandrasekhar VenkataramanChandrasekhar Venkataraman
We present a mathematical and a computational framework for the modelling of cell motility. The cell membrane is represented by an evolving surface, with the movement of the cell determined by the interaction of various forces that act normal to the surface. We consider external forces such as those that may arise owing to inhomogeneities in the medium and a pressure that constrains the enclosed volume, as well as internal forces that arise from the reaction of the cells' surface to stretching and bending. We also consider a protrusive force associated with a reaction-diffusion system (RDS) posed on the cell membrane, with cell polarization modelled by this surface RDS. The computational method is based on an evolving surface finite-element method. The general method can account for the large deformations that arise in cell motility and allows the simulation of cell migration in three dimensions. We illustrate applications of the proposed modelling framework and numerical method by reporting on numerical simulations of a model for eukaryotic chemotaxis and a model for the persistent movement of keratocytes in two and three space dimensions. Movies of the simulated cells can be obtained from http://homepages.warwick.ac.uk/maskae/CV_Warwick/Chemotaxis.html.

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Accepted version

Journal

Journal of the Royal Society, Interface

ISSN

1742-5662

Publisher

The Royal Society

Issue

76

Volume

9

Page range

3027-3044

Department affiliated with

  • Mathematics Publications

Full text available

  • Yes

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2012-12-03

First Open Access (FOA) Date

2012-12-03

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2012-12-03

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