 |
Center for Nonlinear Studies |
Vasculogenesis, the primary formation of blood vessel networks, is a key step in early embryo development. Understanding the mechanisms behind vasculogenesis will have important implications in wound healing and tumor angiogenesis, because these processes share similar basic interactions. The major building blocks of blood vessels are endothelial cells. Endothelial cells elongate, move, and attach to each other to form polygonal networks of blood vessels. The polygonal structure of such networks is amazingly similar for different stages of embryo development in vivo, tissue experiments in vitro, and even in different species from bird to human. However, little is known about the mechanisms of formation of polygonal structures at different environmental conditions, especially the role of interactions between endothelial cells and the surrounding environment such as the extracellular matrix. We aim to explore the biophysical mechanisms for the formation of polygonal networks of blood vessels. We use a cell-level model that treats individual cells with extended cell-body and flexible cell-shape, and describes interactions as effective energies. We focus on the role of extracellular matrix in vasculogenesis. As the first step towards the goal, using the available microscopic data on cell behavior, our model yields an average cell speed in very good agreement with experimental measurements.
Host: Yi Jiang T-07