SOPSim: A cell vertex-based application for simulating sensory bristle patterning with dynamic filopodia

SOPSim, a vertex-based Python library, shows that long-range Notch-Delta communication via myosin-driven filopodia is essential to reproduce refined Drosophila SOP bristle patterns.

• Why it matters: Short-range Notch contact alone cannot explain the complex spatial patterning seen in vivo, and how filopodia dynamics shape Notch-Delta activation remains unclear.
• What they did: The framework adds filopodia dynamics driven by myosin-mediated contraction, defines physical intersection criteria for filopodia pairs, introduces a local sensory area metric, and calibrates a Notch threshold using experimental data.
• The result: Numerical simulations confirm that including filopodia-mediated long-range signaling is required for refined patterns, and parameter sweeps test how filopodia length, lifetime, and orientation affect SOP spatial organization.

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