Competition between cell types under cell cycle regulation with apoptosis

Abstract

Competition between different cell types plays a crucial role in bacterial ecology, developmental biology, and tumor growth. We study how cells compete in 2D by using both a mean field theory and particle-based simulations. We employ a mechanical model that incorporates a stylized form of cell cycle regulation to control cell division events. This is extended to treat multiple cell types with different rates of programed cell death (apoptosis) and characteristic cell-cycle control pressures. Analytic predictions for the invasion speed and the coexistence line are in agreement with simulations. Synchronization in the cell division/apoptosis events can emerge, leading to oscillations in pressure and cell-cycle activity. We also study the invasion or elimination of small (pre)cancerous colonies. We show how a Laplace pressure at the colony interface, here controlled by differential cell adhesion, shifts the coexistence line; there are cell types that can invade when starting from a large colony but will be eliminated if the colony is small.