motility_10.2
Project Credits:
UPenn Dept of ARCH745, Nonlinear Systems Biology & Design (Sabin)
Project 2:
Yifan Wu, Wenda Xlao, Ringo Tse
Based on the observation in control experiment of smooth muscle cell motility, we find that cells behave differently in various environments (denatured and native). After tracing paths of nucleus movement and the direction of branches of one single cell within a period of time, we study the behavior mechanism (morphosis) of native and denatured cell with a time-spatial diagram.
According to the diagram, we are intrigued by the rhythmical cell movement. We consider rhythm pattern as a crucial phenomenon manifesting interaction between cell and matrix. At first, we try to understand the mechanism behind cell motility through “Mechanical Signaling and the Cellular Response to Extracellular Matrix in Angiogenesis and Cardiovascular Physiology”, which explains how cytoskeleton, cell membrane and extracellular matrix (ECM) work together cohesively as dynamic system. This article applies tensegrity model to illustrate the local tension change which is responsible for the reconstruction of the whole dynamic system and the control of cell behavior. Then, we investigate the possibilty of scripting logics simulating the mechanism of the rhythm and the influence of environment.
To materialize the rhythm (a quality of temporality), we transfer the logic to the context of deployable structure. Components react and interact to each other based on specific rules, they form a series of specific behaviors within a sequence of timeframe which differentiate the native and the denature as a whole.