Fig. 3: Simulations implicate longer trapping time gives rise to sub-diffusive migration and larger step sizes gives rise to super-diffusive migration. | Nature Communications

Fig. 3: Simulations implicate longer trapping time gives rise to sub-diffusive migration and larger step sizes gives rise to super-diffusive migration.

From: Glassy adhesion dynamics govern transitions between sub-diffusive and super-diffusive cancer cell migration on viscoelastic substrates

Fig. 3: Simulations implicate longer trapping time gives rise to sub-diffusive migration and larger step sizes gives rise to super-diffusive migration.The alternative text for this image may have been generated using AI.

A Sequential depiction of cell-matrix interactions during migration: (i) Clutch imbalance at the two ends governs migration distance Ds and speed Vm. (ii) Clutch failure on the left end initiates cell movement to the right. (iii)-(iv) Migration occurs intermittently, with pauses (referred to as trap time) due to clutch balance. (v) Clutch failure on right end propels cell to the right. B Bound clutch fraction shows the clutch distribution at the two ends. Migration distance and velocity plots represent the migration trajectory with time. Clutches remain balanced during periods of trapping and correlate with minimal change in migration distance and speed. C Experimental images illustrate periods of cell trapping with no net displacements during migration trajectory. D Schematic representation of trapping parameters and step size. E, (i) Simulations predict longer trapping times with long-tails for slow-relaxing substrates and (ii) large step sizes with heavy-tailed distribution on fast-relaxing substrates. F Experiments validate trap time and step size distributions for slow and fast-relaxing substrates. The unpaired two-tailed Student’s t test was used for data analysis. E(i): P = 1.52E−13; n = 50 (fast) and 50 (slow) independent simulations; E(ii): P = 1.55E−39; n = 1383 (fast) and 1771 (slow) observations across 50 independent trajectory simulations; F(i): P = 1.79E−21; n = 36 (fast) and 32 (slow) cells over three experiments; F(ii): P = 0.039; n = 125 (fast) and 88 (slow) cells over three different experiments. G Kurtosis number captures heavy-tailedness. For a distribution having rare events, the Kurtosis number is higher. H The Kurtosis number ratio between trapping time and step size is correlated with the sub-diffusive migration mode. (Black dotted lines represent mean in the violin plots. ‘ns’ represents not significant p > 0.05, *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001, ****p < 0.0001).

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