PolyMorph: Extension of PolyHoop for tissue morphogenesis coupled to chemical signaling

Abstract: We present PolyMorph, a lightweight standalone C++ program that extends its predecessor PolyHoop by a finite-difference solver for multi-component reaction-advection-diffusion equations. PolyMorph simulates two integral parts of tissue morphogenesis in two dimensions: 1) the mechanics of cellular deformation, growth and proliferation, and 2) transport and reaction of an arbitrary number of chemical species. Both of these components are bidirectionally coupled, allowing cells to base their behavior on local information on concentrations and flow, and allowing the chemical transport and reaction kinetics to depend on spatial information such as the local cell type. This bidirectional feedback makes PolyMorph a versatile tool to study a variety of cellular morphogenetic processes such as chemotaxis, cell sorting, tissue patterning with morphogen gradients, Turing patterning, and diffusion- or supply-limited growth with sub-cellular resolution.