The propagation of the vibration waves outside the cell increases the strength of the mechanical signals in communication between cells

A study by Tel Aviv University demonstrated how vibrational forces are transmitted by the extracellular network in the tissue causing effective interactions between the cells in the tissue

Innovative research at Tel Aviv University offers for the first time a model that explains communication between cells using a dynamic-mechanical system. The model demonstrates how the reorganization of the cell network, in different organisms in nature, through contractions and vibrations causes effective interactions between them. The researchers were even able to show that at certain frequencies the communication waves transmitted between the cells are amplified and sent more efficiently to the neighboring cells.

The model was developed under the leadership of the team of researchers Dr. Igor Brinsky and Dr. Ayelet Lassman from the School of Mechanical Engineering in the Ivy and Alder Fleishman Faculty of Engineering. The study was published in the prestigious journal "ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering".

In our body there is a material made of fibers called ECM (ExtraCellular Matrix) which is a kind of network on which the cells of our body "sit" and communicate with each other by the forces of traction and vibration (vibration). In the current study, the researchers examined interactions between cells using a dynamic-mechanical model, and discovered that waves induced by a cell that contracts during its activity are transmitted to a distant cell, which will respond accordingly. The propagation of vibrational waves increases the mechanical signals in long-range communication between the cells and optimizes it.

Dr. Lasman explains: "The inspiration for the research came from spiders. We all know the webs they create to capture their prey, but how do they manage to sense it in the first place? It turns out that the spiders vibrate the structure's webs, and by means of the vibration forces they sense the prey from a distance. Similar to the spider's web, the extracellular material in the tissue is made up of a network of interconnected fibers and is a medium that transmits mechanical signals between cells. In the research we built a model consisting of a network of fibers, where each fiber can be treated as an elastic spring. The computer simulations demonstrated how the vibrational forces spread from one cell to another distant cell using these small springs and enable efficient mechanical communication between the cells."

Dr. Brinsky adds: "Until now, it was known to science that cells communicate with each other through the environment (the ECM) using various biochemical methods (e.g. diffusion of molecules), and they were even able to demonstrate mechanical communication between cells using static forces constant in time. However, systems of cells are dynamic and the forces that the cells exert in their environment can be very fast and change over time. We demonstrated for the first time a dynamic communication capability, through the vibrations that the cells create in their environment, which can enable efficient sensing and over longer distances. The ability to understand how cells communicate can help the understanding of biological processes and the development of diseases, such as cancer - an environment where the ability of cells to communicate with each other and with other cells in their environment is critical in the spread of cancer, and understanding the mechanisms of communication can help us find new drugs."

for the scientific article

More of the topic in Hayadan:

• The 2022 Wolf Prize in Chemistry promotes the understanding of the chemistry of intercellular communication
• An injection of adrenaline for science: two researchers in the field of intercellular communication won the 2012 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
• Researchers from Tel Aviv University have developed a method to find out which proteins move from cell to cell in the intercellular communication
• A carrier protein was discovered, whose function is to change the position of the communication proteins
• The google maps of the brain: locating RNA fragments in brain cells without removing the tissue