Our vertex model represents the mechanical properties of single cells and their interactions with neighboring cells. The resulting elasticity at the tissue scale cannot be easily deduced and its dependence upon the model parameters is non-trivial. We use the model to study the impact of cell mechanical properties on the response of cell monolayers to stretching, and inversely the potential effect of tissue stretching on the mechanical properties of cells. We analyze how the model parameters, related to cell contractility and intercellular adhesion, affect the elasticity of tissues and their mechanical response to different stress loading application.
We compare our numerical results to experimental measurements of epithelial cell monolayer mechanics (Harris et al, PNAS, 109(41):1644916454, 2012), and we estimate in physical units the parameter values of our model that match the experiments. We reach to the conclusion that the model parameters must vary in response to tissue strain in order to match experimental observations. For more information, please refer to our Soft Matter article.