In silico study of cell repacking proсesses in epithelial sheets. Part I. Uniaxial tissue stretching

Cell repacking plays a key role in the development of epithelial tissues, their regeneration and adaptation to mechanical stress. The study presents a comprehensive anal-ysis of cell rearrangement processes in epithelial tissues, conducted using an advanced mathematical model of epithelial tissue evolution. The model is discrete and based on a vertex model. It also incorporates the description of key processes, such as cell division, intercalation, chemo-mechanical interaction, and redistribution of chemical signals. This allows accounting for the influence of mechanical and chemical factors during epithelial morphogenesis. The primary focus is on cell repacking processes under uniaxial tissue stretching. A methodological study was conducted to analyze system behavior at various values of the cell intercalation parameter. Numerical simulations revealed patterns in tis-sue morphology changes under mechanical stress. The main result is the determination of an optimal intercalation parameter that ensures optimal cell dynamics, minimizing local stresses and restoring normal tissue structure. In this case, intercalation processes are effective, which allows the tissue to evenly redistribute the load. The modeling results confirm that cell repacking helps maintain the mechanical stability of tissues and their normal development. The obtained data may be useful for studying morphogenesis, tissue regeneration processes, and oncogenesis, as well as for developing therapeutic approaches to treating diseases associated with impaired mechanical properties of epi-thelial tissue. The proposed mathematical model successfully describes the dynamics of cell repacking and its effect on the mechanical properties of epithelial tissues. The study opens up prospects for further research on modeling complex biological processes in multicellular systems.