A mass conserved reaction-diffusion system reveals switching between coexisting polar and oscillatory cell motility states

Abstract

Motile eukaryotic cells display distinct modes of migration that often occur within the same cell type. It remains unclear, however, whether transitions between the migratory modes require changes in external conditions, or whether the different modes are coexisting states that emerge from the underlying signaling network. Using a mass-conserved reaction-diffusion model of small GTPase signaling with F-actin mediated feedback, we uncover a bistable regime where a polarized mode of migration coexists with spatiotemporal oscillations. Indeed, experimental observations of D. discoideum show that, upon collision with a rigid boundary, cells may switch from polarized to disordered motion.

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