Nature of PSG chemotactic signals (attractant vs. repellent)

Determine whether the chemotactic signaling molecules mediating interactions within the migrating primary sympathetic ganglion (PSG) cell cluster in chick embryos are attractants, repellents, or both.

Background

The paper studies how cell clusters can form and remain robust through nonlocal interactions that can be approximated by local continuum models. A key biological context is the migrating primary sympathetic ganglion (PSG) cluster in chick embryos, where cells are known to communicate via chemical signaling.

While the modeling framework can accommodate both attractive and repulsive chemotactic cues, the specific biological identity of the signals in the PSG system remains uncertain. Clarifying whether the signals are purely attractant, purely repellent, or a combination is essential for calibrating model parameters and validating the mechanisms proposed for stable cluster formation.

References

From spatial RNAseq experiments in the PSG, it is known that the cells in the migrating cluster interact via chemical signalling [Kasemeier2015], but whether the chemicals are attractants, repellents, or both, is unclear.

— How cells stay together; a mechanism for maintenance of a robust cluster explored by local and nonlocal continuum models  (2406.02846 - Buttenschön et al., 2024) in Section 1 (Introduction)