Effects of drag coefficients on substrate-based cell motility.

Abstract

Substrate-based cell motility is crucial for biological processes, and heterogeneity in the physical properties of the substrate can influence the outcomes of these processes. We demonstrate numerically the impact of different adhesion strengths on one substrate, achieved by adjusting the drag coefficients of different regions on the substrate, on cellular dynamics. We observed that, given the same initial cell location relative to the interface between two regions with different adhesion strengths, the behavior of a cell differs depending on whether it is initially a static cell or a stationary moving cell. Furthermore, we also introduced external stimulation to the cell. The cellular motility behavior around the interface can also be affected by adjusting the magnitude, range, and duration of the external stimulation.