Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

How well can an amoeba climb?

Y Fukui1, T Q Uyeda, C Kitayama

  • 1Cell and Molecular Biology, Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, IL 60611-3008, USA. y-fukui@northwestern.edu

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|August 30, 2000
PubMed
Summary

Researchers measured cell crawling force using a centrifuge microscope. Dictyostelium discoideum amoebae stalling revealed myosin II

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Migration Forces in Dictyostelium Measured by Centrifuge DIC Microscopy.

The Biological bulletin·2017
Same author

Myosin II-independent cytokinesis in Dictyostelium: its mechanism and implications.

Cell structure and function·2000
Same author

Identification of Myo3, a second type-II myosin heavy chain in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

FEBS letters·1998
Same author

Type II myosin heavy chain encoded by the myo2 gene composes the contractile ring during cytokinesis in Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

The Journal of cell biology·1997
Same author

Purification and amino-acid sequence of a nerve growth factor from the venom of Vipera russelli russelli.

Biochimica et biophysica acta·1992
Same author

Fish egg glycophosphoproteins have species-specific N-linked glycan units previously found in a storage pool of free glycan chains.

The Journal of biological chemistry·1992

Area of Science:

  • Cell biology
  • Biophysics
  • Cytoskeleton dynamics

Background:

  • Amoeboid locomotion is crucial for cellular functions.
  • Understanding the forces cells generate during movement is key.
  • The role of myosin motors in cell crawling force is not fully elucidated.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantify the crawling force of Dictyostelium discoideum amoebae.
  • To investigate the contribution of myosin II to cell crawling force.
  • To explore the physical properties of the leading pseudopod during locomotion.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing a centrifuge microscope to apply controlled acceleration.
  • Measuring the stalling force of Dictyostelium discoideum amoebae.
  • Analyzing myosin mutants and their effect on crawling force and cortical strength.

Main Results:

  • Cell crawling force depended on myosin II, not myosins IA or IB.
  • Stalling occurred unexpectedly even in media denser than the cells.
  • The leading pseudopod showed bending under centrifugal force, indicating high density.

Conclusions:

  • Myosin II is critical for generating the crawling force in Dictyostelium discoideum.
  • Cell locomotion against resistance requires a dense, turgid leading pseudopod.
  • Cortical actomyosin II likely sustains the pseudopod's structure for directional movement.

Related Experiment Videos