Single-cell motile behaviour of $${Trypanosoma\, brucei}$$ in thin-layered fluid collectives

Krüger, Timothy; Maus, Katharina; Kreß, Verena; Meyer-Natus, Elisabeth; Engstler, Markus

doi:10.1140/epje/s10189-021-00052-7

Cited by 5 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 26 publications

(31 reference statements)

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“…Movement of pedestrians or insect groups such as ants is often restricted by fences or walls that limit a channel [22]. Collective behaviour of unicellular organisms is typically studied in quasi two-dimensional disklike liquid droplets [23] or in microfluidic devices with channels as well as chambers of different shapes including disks and boxes [24]. Our work provides a further step towards the application of the Vicsek model to study such systems.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

On-lattice Vicsek model in confined geometries

Kühn¹,

Fischer²

2021

Preprint

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The Vicsek model [1] is a very popular minimalist model to study active matter with a number of applications to biological systems at different length scales. With its off-lattice implementation and the periodic boundary conditions, it aims at the analysis of bulk behaviour of a limited number of particles. To expand the applicability of the model to further biological systems, we introduce an on-lattice implementation of the model and analyse its behaviour for three different geometries with reflective boundary conditions. For sufficiently fine lattices, the model behaviour does not differ between off-lattice and on-lattice implementation. The reflective boundary conditions introduce an alignment of the particles with the boundary for low levels of noise. In a pipe geometry, this causes swarms to move along the pipe. In a squared box, we discovered that the edges act as swarm traps.The trapping shows a discontinuous noise dependence. Below a critical noise value, all particles are trapped and above the critical value, no trapping occurs. In a disk geometry, the boundary alignment creates an ordered rotational state. We show that this state is well described by a novel order parameter. Our results present a detailed characterisation of the behaviour of the Viscek model in confined environments with reflective boundary conditions. This provides the basis for an application of the Vicsek model to biological questions that cannot be addressed with the current version of the model.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

On-lattice Vicsek model in confined geometries

Kühn¹,

Fischer²

2021

Preprint

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“…Application of our methods to in vitro trypanosome colonies reveal that simple growth dynamics as represented by the Eden model are not sufficient to accurately capture social motility dynamics. However, in combination with data from single cells [9], our colony-scale quantification builds a solid basis for developing more intricate models, that could incorporate factors such as cell division, characteristics of the microswimmer motion and the properties of the colony boundaries. Hence, we are one step further in understanding the mechanisms of collective trypanosome motion in vitro .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These results highlighted the importance of as yet unclear physical parameters underlying the phenomena of SoMo. [9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantification ofTrypanosoma Bruceisocial motility indicates different colony growth phases

Kuhn,

Krueger,

Schüttler

et al. 2024

Preprint

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In vitro colonies of the flagellated parasite Trypanosoma brucei grow in characteristic fingering instability patterns. The underlying cause of this this type of collective migration and the associated behavior called social motility remains a topic of intense debate in the scientific community. In order to study these mechanisms in detail, it is crucial to develop quantitative methods to assess and measure social motility patterns at the level of the whole colony beyond qualitative image comparisons. Here, we show a quantification of the growth process based on two scale free metrics designed to quantify the shape of two-dimensional colonies. While initially developed for yeast colonies, we adapted, modified and extended the analysis pipeline for the Trypanosoma system. Combining the quantitative measurements with colony growth simulations based on the Eden model, we discovered two distinct growth phases in social motility showing colonies: In the first phase, the colonies shown mainly circular expansion and later switch to an almost exclusive finger growing phase. These phases are robust when increasing the number of cells as well as upon partial inhibition of the finger formation. A newly developed anisotropy index shows that upon partial inhibition the anisotropy in the colony increases over time. Our results provide objective measurements that help advance the understanding of social motility of trypanosomes. Furthermore, our approach is suitable as a blueprint for investigations of other colony forming cells such as yeast or bacteria.

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“…This is independent of the question whether trypanosomes display true swarming, defined as directional motility of groups of cells, mainly observed in prokaryotic systems 6 . A careful analysis of the SoMo process on plates showed that single fluorescently labeled trypanosomes in projections did not move directionally and single cell motility did not correlate with movement of the projections 70 . In dissected tsetse fly tissues, collective motion of trypanosomes as synchronized swarms with coordinated flagellar beat were observed ex vivo 11 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A multi-adenylate cyclase regulator at the flagellar tip controls African trypanosome transmission

Bachmaier

Giacomelli

Calvo-Álvarez

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Signaling from ciliary nanodomains controls developmental processes in metazoans. Trypanosome transmission requires development and migration in the tsetse vector alimentary tract. Flagellar cAMP signaling has been linked to parasite social motility (SoMo) in vitro, yet uncovering control of directed migration in fly organs is challenging. Here we show that the architecture of an adenylate cyclase (AC) complex in the flagellar tip nanodomain is essential for tsetse salivary gland (SG) colonization and SoMo. Cyclic AMP response protein 3 (CARP3) binds and regulates multiple AC isoforms. CARP3 tip localization depends on the scaffold FLAM8. Re-localization of CARP3 away from the tip nanodomain is sufficient to abolish SoMo and fly SG colonization. Since intrinsic development is normal in ∆carp3 and ∆flam8 mutant parasites, AC complex-mediated tip signaling specifically controls parasite migration and thereby transmission. Participation of several developmentally regulated receptor-type AC isoforms may indicate the complexity of the in vivo signals perceived.

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Single-cell motile behaviour of $${Trypanosoma\, brucei}$$ in thin-layered fluid collectives

Cited by 5 publications

References 26 publications

On-lattice Vicsek model in confined geometries

On-lattice Vicsek model in confined geometries

Quantification ofTrypanosoma Bruceisocial motility indicates different colony growth phases

A multi-adenylate cyclase regulator at the flagellar tip controls African trypanosome transmission

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