A Langevin model of physical forces in cell volume fluctuations

Cells interact mechanically with their physical surroundings by attaching to the extracellular matrix or other cells and contracting the cytoskeleton. Cells do so dynamically, exhibiting fluctuating contractile motion in time. In monolayers, these dynamic contractions manifest as volume fluctuations, which involve the transport of fluid in and out of the cell. An integrated understanding of cell elasticity, actively generated stresses, and fluid transport has not yet been developed. Here we apply a minimal model of these forces to cell volume fluctuation data, elucidating the dynamic behavior of cells within monolayers.