Fig. 1: In both dynamics and structure, pEMT and UJT diverge over time.

In well-differentiated HBE cells, pEMT was induced by TGF-β1 (10 ng/ml) and UJT was induced by compression^37,66,84,89. Representative speed maps (obtained using optical flow, see “Methods” section; Scale bar in a is 100 µm) a, average speed b, and effective diffusivity c for jammed, pEMT and UJT at 24, 48, and 72 h. b, c Left panel: mean ± SEM for n = 4 donors; right panel: measurements for each field of view across donors, with symbol shape denoting each donor. Jammed cells remain essentially stationary over all times. Cells undergoing pEMT migrate moderately at 24 h but return to baseline by 48 h. Cells undergoing UJT display progressively increasing migratory speed and diffusivity over time. Individual cells color-coded by aspect ratio (AR) d and quantified by mean AR (e) for jammed, pEMT, and UJT at 24, 48, and 72 h. Scale bar in d is 50 µm. e Left panel: mean ± SEM for n = 3 donors; right panel: measurements for each field of view across donors, with shape denoting each donor. Elevated cellular AR represents a structural signature of the unjamming transition^37,39. *p < 0.05, vs. control; ^#p < 0.05, UJT vs. pEMT, color-coded according to which sample is referenced, one-way ANOVA followed by post-hoc multiple comparisons with Bonferroni correction. Mean (SEM) and full datasets available in Supplementary Table 1 and online Source Data file, respectively.