Differential Adhesion: Cell Sorting in Two Dimensions
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Introduction
This model shows the original cellular Potts model (a.k.a. Glazier-Graner model) of cell sorting based on the Steinberg’s differential adhesion hypothesis.

Description
Two CellTypes
are defined, each of which has a VolumeConstraint
specifying the cell’s target area/volume. In the CPM
element, the MetropolisKinetics
can be configured and the Interaction
energies between cell types are specified.
Although cells can be initialized as single points using e.g. the InitCircle
plugin, in this example, the Nodes
of each Cell
in the CellPopulations
are given explicitly. In fact, these Populations
are restored results of a previous simulation.
The simulation shows two populations of spatially resolved cells that initially organized in a mosaic fashion. Through differential adhesion, the motile cells sort out and re-organize into an distribution in which one cell type engulfes the other.
Snapshots of the simulation are saved to files named [Title][Time].xml.gz
. These files containing intermediate and result states can be opened and used as initial conditions for new simulations. Remember to change StartTime
and StopTime
accordingly.
Reference
F. Graner, J. A. Glazier: Simulation of biological cell sorting using a two-dimensional extended Potts model. Phys. Rev. Lett. 69 (13): 2013-2016, 1992.
Model
Examples
→ CPM
→ CellSorting_2D.xml
or
CellSorting_2D.xml
XML Preview
<MorpheusModel version="3">
<Description>
<Title>Example-CellSorting-2D</Title>
<Details>Reference:
Graner and Glazier, Simulation of biological cell sorting using a two-dimensional extended Potts model, Phys. Rev. Lett. 69, 2013–2016 (1992) </Details>
</Description>
<Global>
<Variable symbol="boundary" value="0.0" name="Boundary length of CT1 with other cell types"/>
<Constant symbol="b" value="0.0"/>
<Constant symbol="b2" value="0.0"/>
</Global>
<Space>
<SpaceSymbol symbol="l"/>
<Lattice class="square">
<Size symbol="size" value="200, 200, 0"/>
<BoundaryConditions>
<Condition boundary="x" type="periodic"/>
<Condition boundary="y" type="periodic"/>
</BoundaryConditions>
<Neighborhood>
<Order>2</Order>
</Neighborhood>
</Lattice>
</Space>
<Time>
<StartTime value="0"/>
<StopTime value="2.5e4"/>
<!-- <Disabled>
<SaveInterval value="5e3"/>
</Disabled>
-->
<RandomSeed value="0"/>
<TimeSymbol symbol="time"/>
</Time>
<CellTypes>
<CellType class="biological" name="ct1">
<VolumeConstraint target="200" strength="1"/>
<NeighborhoodReporter>
<Input scaling="length" value="cell.type == celltype.ct2.id"/>
<Output symbol-ref="boundary" mapping="sum"/>
</NeighborhoodReporter>
<Property symbol="b" value="0"/>
<NeighborhoodReporter>
<Input scaling="cell" value="cell.type == celltype.ct2.id"/>
<Output symbol-ref="b" mapping="sum"/>
</NeighborhoodReporter>
<NeighborhoodReporter>
<Input scaling="length" value="cell.type == celltype.ct2.id"/>
<Output symbol-ref="b2" mapping="sum"/>
</NeighborhoodReporter>
<Property symbol="b2" value="0" name="Interface with ct2"/>
</CellType>
<CellType class="biological" name="ct2">
<VolumeConstraint target="200" strength="1"/>
<Property symbol="b" value="0"/>
<NeighborhoodReporter>
<Input scaling="cell" value="cell.type == celltype.ct1.id"/>
<Output symbol-ref="b" mapping="sum"/>
</NeighborhoodReporter>
<Property symbol="b2" value="0" name="Interface with ct1"/>
<NeighborhoodReporter>
<Input scaling="length" value="cell.type == celltype.ct1.id"/>
<Output symbol-ref="b2" mapping="sum"/>
</NeighborhoodReporter>
</CellType>
<CellType class="medium" name="medium"/>
</CellTypes>
<CPM>
<Interaction default="0.0">
<Contact type1="ct1" type2="medium" value="12"/>
<Contact type1="ct2" type2="medium" value="6"/>
<Contact type1="ct1" type2="ct1" value="6"/>
<Contact type1="ct2" type2="ct2" value="6"/>
<Contact type1="ct1" type2="ct2" value="16"/>
</Interaction>
<MonteCarloSampler stepper="edgelist">
<MCSDuration value="1"/>
<Neighborhood>
<Order>2</Order>
</Neighborhood>
<MetropolisKinetics temperature="2"/>
</MonteCarloSampler>
<ShapeSurface scaling="norm">
<Neighborhood>
<Order>6</Order>
</Neighborhood>
</ShapeSurface>
</CPM>
<CellPopulations>
<Population size="0" type="ct1">
<InitCircle mode="random" number-of-cells="50">
<Dimensions radius="size.x/3" center="size.x/2, size.y/2, 0"/>
</InitCircle>
</Population>
<Population size="0" type="ct2">
<InitCircle mode="random" number-of-cells="50">
<Dimensions radius="size.x/3" center="size.x/2, size.y/2, 0"/>
</InitCircle>
</Population>
</CellPopulations>
<Analysis>
<Gnuplotter time-step="100" decorate="false">
<Terminal name="png"/>
<Plot>
<Cells flooding="true" value="cell.type"/>
</Plot>
<Plot>
<Cells flooding="true" value="b">
<ColorMap>
<Color value="2" color="red"/>
<Color value="1" color="yellow"/>
<Color value="0" color="white"/>
</ColorMap>
</Cells>
<CellLabels precision="0" fontsize="10" value="b"/>
</Plot>
<Plot>
<Cells per-frame-range="true" value="b2">
<ColorMap>
<Color value="2" color="red"/>
<Color value="1" color="yellow"/>
<Color value="0" color="white"/>
</ColorMap>
</Cells>
<CellLabels precision="0" fontsize="10" value="b2"/>
</Plot>
</Gnuplotter>
<Logger time-step="10.0">
<Input>
<Symbol symbol-ref="boundary"/>
<Symbol symbol-ref="b"/>
<Symbol symbol-ref="b2"/>
</Input>
<Output>
<TextOutput/>
</Output>
<Plots>
<Plot time-step="500">
<Style style="linespoints"/>
<Terminal terminal="png"/>
<X-axis>
<Symbol symbol-ref="time"/>
</X-axis>
<Y-axis>
<Symbol symbol-ref="boundary"/>
</Y-axis>
</Plot>
</Plots>
</Logger>
</Analysis>
</MorpheusModel>
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