Cell division sets a universal flow geometry in cell layers
Abstract
Collective flows in epithelial tissues contain a geometric backbone of vortical interfaces whose statistics exhibit hallmarks of critical percolation and conformal invariance. Yet how fundamental cellular processes govern the breakdown of such symmetry-rich flow geometry remains unclear. Here we show that cell division plays a central physical role in regulating this universal flow organization by controlling both the geometric and mechanical flexibility of the cell-cell network. Using pharmacological perturbations, we find that when proliferation is suppressed through two independent interventions, coherent flows persist but neighbor exchanges decline and conformally invariant geometry is lost. Blocking apoptosis does not affect universality, isolating division as the key control. A vertex model with tunable division quantitatively reproduces these effects and restores conformal invariance when division is allowed. We further trace this effect to changes in both the geometric and mechanical organization of the cell layer: Divisions act as intermittent topological renewals that loosen constraints, preserving the network's flexibility and capacity to rearrange across scales. Thus, beyond its canonical role in growth, cell division acts as a structural and mechanical regulator of collective self-organization. These findings establish a direct connection between fundamental biological processes and emergent physical symmetries.
Versions
Related
- Cell size and confinement drive asymmetric cell division through a cortical instability
- Learning the Geometry of Collider Events with Metric-Aware Deep Sets
- Can Universal Machine-Learning Interatomic Potentials Capture Small Polarons? A Geometry-Based Benchmark in Transition-Metal Oxides
- Effective-Geometry Rescaling and Universal Critical Behavior in the Anisotropic Three-State Potts Model on the Square Lattice
- Effect of deep-trap density of states for a-Si:H layers on HIT cell performances: Modeling Framework
BibTeX
@misc{ma2026cell,
title = {{Cell division sets a universal flow geometry in cell layers}},
author = {Tianxiang Ma and Lasse Bonn and Valeriia Grudtsyna and Nigar Abbasova and Martin Cramer Pedersen and Nuno A. M. Araujo and Amin Doostmohammadi},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2609.34631},
eprint = {2609.34631},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.34631},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Cell division sets a universal flow geometry in cell layers
AU - Tianxiang Ma
AU - Lasse Bonn
AU - Valeriia Grudtsyna
AU - Nigar Abbasova
AU - Martin Cramer Pedersen
AU - Nuno A. M. Araujo
AU - Amin Doostmohammadi
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/28
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2609.34631
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.34631
AB - Collective flows in epithelial tissues contain a geometric backbone of vortical interfaces whose statistics exhibit hallmarks of critical percolation and conformal invariance. Yet how fundamental cellular processes govern the breakdown of such symmetry-rich flow geometry remains unclear. Here we show that cell division plays a central physical role in regulating this universal flow organization by controlling both the geometric and mechanical flexibility of the cell-cell network. Using pharmacological perturbations, we find that when proliferation is suppressed through two independent interventions, coherent flows persist but neighbor exchanges decline and conformally invariant geometry is lost. Blocking apoptosis does not affect universality, isolating division as the key control. A vertex model with tunable division quantitatively reproduces these effects and restores conformal invariance when division is allowed. We further trace this effect to changes in both the geometric and mechanical organization of the cell layer: Divisions act as intermittent topological renewals that loosen constraints, preserving the network's flexibility and capacity to rearrange across scales. Thus, beyond its canonical role in growth, cell division acts as a structural and mechanical regulator of collective self-organization. These findings establish a direct connection between fundamental biological processes and emergent physical symmetries.
ER -