Using a top-down approach, an agent-based model was developed within NetLogo where cells and extracellular matrix (ECM) fibers were composed of multiple agents to create deformable structures capable of exerting, reacting to, and transmitting mechanical force. At the beginning of the simulation, long fibers were randomly distributed and cross linked. Throughout the simulation, imposed rules allowed cells to exert traction forces by extending pseudopodia, binding to fibers and pulling them towards the cell. Simulated cells remodeled the fibrous matrix to change both the density and alignment of fibers and migrated within the matrix in ways that are consistent with previous experimental work. For example, cells compacted the matrix in their pericellular regions much more than the average compaction experienced for the entire matrix (696% versus 21%). Between pairs of cells, the matrix density increased (by 92%) and the fibers became more aligned (anisotropy index increased from 0.45 to 0.68) in the direction parallel to a line connecting the two cells, consistent with the “lines of tension” observed in experiments by others. Cells migrated towards one another at an average rate of ∼0.5 cell diameters per 10,000 arbitrary units (AU); faster migration occurred in simulations where the fiber density in the intercellular area was greater. To explore the potential contribution of matrix stiffness gradients in the observed migration (i.e., durotaxis), the model was altered to contain a regular lattice of fibers possessing a stiffness gradient and just a single cell. In these simulations cells migrated preferentially in the direction of increasing stiffness at a rate of ∼2 cell diameter per 10,000 AU. This work demonstrates that matrix remodeling and durotaxis, both complex phenomena, might be emergent behaviors based on just a few rules that control how a cell can interact with a fibrous ECM.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
July 2013
Research-Article
Complex Matrix Remodeling and Durotaxis Can Emerge From Simple Rules for Cell-Matrix Interaction in Agent-Based Models
Daniel A. Krakauer,
Daniel A. Krakauer
Department of Biomedical Engineering,
270 Bevis Hall,
The Ohio State University
,270 Bevis Hall,
1080 Carmack Rd.
,Columbus, OH 43210
Search for other works by this author on:
Keith J. Gooch
Keith J. Gooch
1
Department of Biomedical Engineering,
270 Bevis Hall,
Dorothy M. Davis Heart & Lung Research Institute,
473 W. 12th Ave.,
Columbus, OH 43210
e-mail: gooch.20@osu.edu
The Ohio State University
,270 Bevis Hall,
1080 Carmack Rd.
,Columbus, OH 43210
;Dorothy M. Davis Heart & Lung Research Institute,
The Ohio State University
,473 W. 12th Ave.,
Columbus, OH 43210
e-mail: gooch.20@osu.edu
1Corresponding author.
Search for other works by this author on:
Daniel A. Krakauer
Department of Biomedical Engineering,
270 Bevis Hall,
The Ohio State University
,270 Bevis Hall,
1080 Carmack Rd.
,Columbus, OH 43210
Keith J. Gooch
Department of Biomedical Engineering,
270 Bevis Hall,
Dorothy M. Davis Heart & Lung Research Institute,
473 W. 12th Ave.,
Columbus, OH 43210
e-mail: gooch.20@osu.edu
The Ohio State University
,270 Bevis Hall,
1080 Carmack Rd.
,Columbus, OH 43210
;Dorothy M. Davis Heart & Lung Research Institute,
The Ohio State University
,473 W. 12th Ave.,
Columbus, OH 43210
e-mail: gooch.20@osu.edu
1Corresponding author.
Contributed by the Bioengineering Division of ASME for publication in the JOURNAL OF BIOMECHANICAL ENGINEERING. Manuscript received December 22, 2012; final manuscript received April 23, 2013; accepted manuscript posted May 8, 2013; published online June 11, 2013. Assoc. Editor: Edward Sander.
J Biomech Eng. Jul 2013, 135(7): 071003 (10 pages)
Published Online: June 11, 2013
Article history
Received:
December 22, 2012
Revision Received:
April 23, 2013
Accepted:
May 8, 2013
Citation
Reinhardt, J. W., Krakauer, D. A., and Gooch, K. J. (June 11, 2013). "Complex Matrix Remodeling and Durotaxis Can Emerge From Simple Rules for Cell-Matrix Interaction in Agent-Based Models." ASME. J Biomech Eng. July 2013; 135(7): 071003. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4024463
Download citation file:
Get Email Alerts
Aged Tendons Exhibit Altered Mechanisms of Strain-Dependent Extracellular Matrix Remodeling
J Biomech Eng (July 2024)
Influence of Breath-Mimicking Ventilated Incubation on Three-Dimensional Bioprinted Respiratory Tissue Scaffolds
J Biomech Eng (September 2024)
Related Articles
Agent-Based Modeling Traction Force Mediated Compaction of Cell-Populated Collagen Gels Using Physically Realistic Fibril Mechanics
J Biomech Eng (February,2014)
Laser Joining of Continuous Glass Fiber Composite Preforms
J. Manuf. Sci. Eng (February,2013)
Dynamic Response of Orthogonal Three-Dimensional Woven Carbon Composite Beams Under Soft Impact
J. Appl. Mech (December,2015)
Spectral Element Approach to Wave Propagation in Uncertain Composite Beam Structures
J. Vib. Acoust (October,2011)
Related Proceedings Papers
Related Chapters
Novel and Efficient Mathematical and Computational Methods for the Analysis and Architecting of Ultralight Cellular Materials and their Macrostructural Responses
Advances in Computers and Information in Engineering Research, Volume 2
Thermal Conductivity of High-Modulus Carbon Fibers
Composite Reliability
Fatigue Failure Mechanisms in a Unidirectionally Reinforced Composite Material
Fatigue of Composite Materials