Multicellular tubes are fundamental tissues for transporting and distributing liquids and gases in living organisms. Although the molecular, cellular and mechanical aspects in tube formation have been addressed experimentally, how these factors are coupled to control tube patterning and dynamics at the tissue level remains incompletely understood. Here, we propose a three-dimensional (3D) vertex model that incorporates a mechanochemical feedback loop correlating cell deformation and actomyosin signaling pathway to probe the morphodynamics of multicellular tubes. We show that diverse patterns, including ring, helix, double helix, and labyrinth, are generated in tubes through pitchfork bifurcation, where spatial fluctuations of both biochemical signaling and 3D cell deformation are remarkably involved. The mechanochemical feedback loop enables cell oscillations via Hopf bifurcation, which induces the mechanical and chemical patterns to propagate successively as either traveling or pulse waves while their spatial configurations are maintained, strikingly distinct from the classical Turing instability. Our simulations, together with stability analysis of a minimal model, uncover the essential role of mechanochemical principles in sculpting biological tubes.

中文翻译：

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多细胞管中的机械化学图案和波传播


多细胞管是生物体中运输和分配液体和气体的基本组织。尽管管形成中的分子、细胞和机械方面已通过实验得到解决，但这些因素如何耦合以控制组织水平的管图案和动力学仍不完全清楚。在这里，我们提出了一个三维（3D）顶点模型，该模型结合了与细胞变形和肌动球蛋白信号通路相关的机械化学反馈回路，以探测多细胞管的形态动力学。我们发现，通过干草叉分叉在管中产生了多种模式，包括环形、螺旋、双螺旋和迷宫，其中生化信号传导和 3D 细胞变形的空间波动都显着参与。机械化学反馈回路通过 Hopf 分叉使细胞振荡，从而诱导机械和化学模式以行波或脉冲波的形式连续传播，同时保持其空间配置，这与经典的图灵不稳定性截然不同。我们的模拟以及最小模型的稳定性分析揭示了机械化学原理在雕刻生物管中的重要作用。