Self-organized versus controlled guidance of cells and tissues
Mehmet Can Uçar (ISTA, Austria)
In living organisms, coordinated cell and tissue movement is crucial for processes like morphogenesis, immune response, and cancer invasion. While it is commonly assumed that collective motion is steered by global, pre-patterned chemical or mechanical cues, limited evidence supports such long-range guidance in living organisms. In contrast, recent findings are unveiling the prominence of local, self-generated cues across different systems, prompting a shift towards investigating controlled vs. self-organized guidance. In this talk I will focus on two distinct systems to explore their guidance principles: (i) The development of branched structures, such as neurons and lymphatic networks, and (ii) collective migration of immune cells. I will introduce theoretical models to predict quantitative signatures of self-organized vs. controlled guidance, which I will compare with experimental data at both scales. Finally, I will discuss the potential of self-organized guidance as a robust mechanism to navigate heterogeneous cell populations, and conclude with some perspectives to link cell- and tissue-scale guidance strategies.