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Pearling in cells: a clue to understanding cell shape
1Department of Physics of Complex Systems, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel.
Summary
Disrupting cell actin structures causes shape changes, forming "pearls." A new theory explains this pearling instability by modeling the actin shell
Area of Science:
- Cell biology
- Biophysics
- Cytoskeleton dynamics
Background:
- Actin cytoskeleton disruption leads to cellular shape changes.
- Cylindrical cell extensions can transform into periodic
- pearl
- structures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explain the mechanism behind cell pearling instability.
- To quantitatively link actin disruption to structural changes.
- To develop a theoretical model for cell shape dynamics.
Main Methods:
- Inducing actin cytoskeleton disruption with drugs.
- Quantitative measurements of pearling wavelength.
- Developing a theoretical framework based on actin shell rigidity and tension.
Main Results:
- Observed a square-root relationship between pearling wavelength and drug concentration.
- The developed theory accurately predicts observed pearling phenomena.
- The model allows for estimation of actin shell rigidity and thickness.
Conclusions:
- Cell pearling is driven by the interplay between actin shell rigidity and adhesion-induced tension.
- The theoretical model provides insights into cell shape regulation.
- The findings are applicable to understanding nonadherent cell edge morphology.