Mechanics and remodelling of cell packings in epithelia

摘要: Epithelia are sheets of cells that dynamically remodelled by cell division and death during development. Here we describe the shapes packings as networks polygons: stable stationary network configurations obey force balance represented local minima a potential function. We characterize physical properties this vertex model, including set ground states, energetics topological rearrangements. furthermore discuss quasistatic description allows us to study mechanics dynamics tissue remodelling growth. The biophysics their rearrangements can account for morphology observed in experiments.