Single-Cell Trajectory Reconstruction Reveals Migration Potential of Cell Populations

Abstract: Cell migration, which is strictly regulated by intracellular and extracellular cues, is crucial for normal physiological processes and the progression of certain diseases. However, there is a lack of an efficient approach to analyze super-statistical and time-varying characteristics of cell migration based on single trajectories. Here, we propose an approach to reconstruct single-cell trajectories, which incorporates wavelet transform, power spectrum of an OU-process, and fits of the power spectrum to analyze statistical and time-varying properties of customized target-finding and migration metrics. Our results reveal diverse relationships between motility parameters and dynamic metrics, especially the existence of an optimal parameter range. Moreover, the analysis reveals that the loss of Arpin protein enhances the migration potential of D. discoideum, and a previously reported result that the rescued amoeba is distinguishable from the wild-type amoeba. Significantly, time-varying dynamic metrics emerge periodic phenomena under the influence of irregularly changing parameters, which correlates with migration potential. Our analysis suggests that the approach provides a powerful tool for estimating time-dependent migration potential and statistical features of single-cell trajectories, enabling a better understanding of the relationship between intracellular proteins and cellular behaviors. This also provides more insights on the migration dynamics of single cells and cell populations.