Mechanochemical feedback drives neuron-like dynamics

Temporal dynamics of cell signaling are crucial for cell fate decisions. Cells can adjust their mechanics and adapt their shape in response to environmental signals, yet the impact of shape changes on signal processing and the associated feedback dynamics remain largely unexplored. Motivated by the mechanochemical feedback observed in multicellular systems, we describe cells as incompressible droplets adjusting their interfacial tensions in response to contact-dependent signals and we derived a minimal set of equations governed by just two dimensionless feedback parameters. The shape and signaling dynamics of adaptive droplets exhibit non-linear dynamics akin to those found in conductance-based models of neuronal excitation, including bistability, various classes of excitability, and tunable shape oscillations ranging from near-sinusoidal to relaxation-type. Our tractable framework offers a new paradigm for understanding how soft active materials respond to shape-dependent signals and suggests novel mechanisms for the generation of dynamic cell signals.