Eukaryotic cell motility involves a complex network of interactions between biochemical components and mechanical processes. The cell employs this network to polarize and induce shape changes that give rise to membrane protrusions and retractions, ultimately leading to locomotion of the entire cell body. The combination of a nonlinear reaction–diffusion model of cell polarization, noisy bistable kinetics, and a dynamic phase field for the cell shape permits us to capture the key features of this complex system to investigate several motility scenarios, including amoeboid and fan-shaped forms as well as intermediate states with distinct displacement mechanisms. We compare the numerical simulations of our model to live cell imaging experiments of motile Dictyostelium discoideum cells under different developmental conditions. The dominant parameters of the mathematical model that determine the different motility regimes are identified and discussed.

真核细胞运动涉及生化成分和机械过程之间相互作用的复杂网络。细胞利用该网络极化并诱导形状变化，从而引起膜突出和收缩，最终导致整个细胞体的运动。细胞极化的非线性反应扩散模型，嘈杂的双稳态动力学和细胞形状的动态相场的组合，使我们能够捕获这个复杂系统的关键特征，以研究几种运动情况，包括变形虫和扇形形式以及具有不同位移机制的中间状态。我们将模型的数值模拟与运动型盘基网柄菌的活细胞成像实验进行了比较细胞在不同的发育条件下。确定并讨论了确定不同运动状态的数学模型的主要参数。