European Conference on Mathematical and Theoretical Biology (ECMTB 2026)

Cell-cell heterogeneities in vertex models for tissue mechanics

MS127-03

13 Jul 2026, 11:20

20m

02.23 - HS (University of Graz)

Minisymposium Talk Cellular and Developmental Biology Vertex Models in Tissue Mechanics and Morphogenesis: Bridging Cell-Scale Forces to Multicellular Dynamics

Speaker

Oliver Drozdowski (Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Klosterneuburg, Austria)

Description

Vertex models have been incredibly successful in describing the mechanics of epithelia. However, many models do not systematically consider heterogeneities in the cellular mechanical and biochemical properties. Using three-dimensional force inference in intestinal organoids, we show that cells indeed have inhomogeneous tissue tensions. In particular, outer basal surface tensions at topological defects are increased in organoids to stabilize cell shapes against mechanical instabilities. Using a three-dimensional bubbly vertex model, we show how such geometry-dependent tensions—which could arise from mechanosensitive feedback—allow for ideal cell shape stabilization superior to other tissue-scale strategies \cite{Drozdowski}. Further, incorporating into the vertex model both such mechanosensation through intracellular mechanochemical coupling and cellular heterogeneities, we uncover the complex modulation of mechanochemical waves in two-dimensional epithelia. Consequently, our work underlines the importance of moving beyond homogeneous mean-field descriptions of tissues.

Bibliography

@article{Drozdowski,
author = {Drozdowski, Oliver and Schwarz, Ulrich},
year = {2024},
month = {11},
pages = {},
title = {Cell bulging and extrusion in a three-dimensional bubbly vertex model for curved epithelial sheets},
doi = {10.48550/arXiv.2411.07141}
}