Migration of a biochemical cell in inhomogeneous environments

What is it about?

Living cells on a substrate with mechanical inhomogeneities often migrate along or against the mechanical gradient, i.e., mechanotaxis, which inspires us to ask how biomimetic cells without biochemical signaling processes respond to environmental inhomogeneity. Here, we perform computer simulations to study the migration of a 2D active colloidal cell (ACC) in a heterogeneous environment. We find that the ACC can migrate unidirectionally across the interface separating the heterogeneous region and behave tactically. Interestingly, the tactic motion of the ACC is qualitatively different from that of the constituent active particles themselves. The tactic behavior of the ACC can be explained by analyzing the pressure distribution on the cell membrane exerted by the enclosed active particles.

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Photo by Hal Gatewood on Unsplash

Photo by Hal Gatewood on Unsplash

Why is it important?

The findings provide insights into understanding the taxis of biological cells and designing biomimetic cells with environment-sensitive capabilities.

Perspectives