Neural crest streaming as an emergent property of tissue interactions during morphogenesis
Fig 2
Cell-based model of neural crest—placode interactions.
(A-E) Illustration of cellular behaviors in the model: polarized cell motility (A), co-attraction (CoA, B) and contact inhibition of locomotion (CIL, C) between NC-NC cells, and chase and run behavior (D-E) based on Sdf1 chemotaxis (D) and repulsion (E) between NC-placode cells. (F-G) Example simulation of the model, showing initial (E) and final (F) cell configurations with NC (orange) and placodal (red) cells. AP and DV axes indicate axes analogous to anterior-posterior and dorso-ventral directions in embryos. (H) Outline of the simulated NC population at t = 300,600,1200,2100, and 3600 MCS. (I) Inhibitor concentration levels at the end of the simulation mimicking the pattern of inhibitors in vivo. (J) NC cell density probability function related to pair-correlation of cells. Color indicates value, brightness shows number of samples (N) at position
in summation (Eq 1); averaged from n = 20 independent simulation repeats. (K-L) Sections of
function shown in (J) along the AP (K) and DV (L) axes. W and L indicate the characteristic width and length. (M) Time evolution of W, L, and the aspect ratio L/W. (N) Average concentration levels in the simulation area. Error bars indicate SEM; n = 20 simulations; a.u.: arbitrary unit; s.u.: simulation unit of one lattice site, the minimal simulated distance; MCS: Monte Carlo time step.