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Lamellipodial contractions during crawling and spreading
1University of Connecticut Health Center, Department of Cell Biology, Farmington, Connecticut, USA. cwolgemuth@uchc.edu
Biophysical Journal
|July 12, 2005
Summary
A new model explains periodic lamellipodial contractions in crawling cells using stick-slip adhesion and contractile forces. This mechanism also accounts for latrunculin effects and predicts chemical waves during cell motility.
Area of Science:
- Cell biology
- Biophysics
- Computational modeling
Background:
- Eukaryotic cell crawling involves polymerization, adhesion, and rear retraction.
- Lamellipodia exhibit periodic, substrate-dependent contractions during cell movement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a simple model explaining periodic lamellipodial contractions.
- To investigate the role of adhesion and contractile forces in cell motility.
- To explore the generation of chemical waves during cell spreading.
Main Methods:
- Developed a computational model incorporating stick-slip adhesion.
- Included a simplified mechanism for contractile force generation.
- Coupled the contractile model with a diffusing chemical species.
Main Results:
- The model successfully explains periodic lamellipodial contractions.
- The model accounts for the effect of latrunculin on contraction periods.
- The model predicts periodic chemical waves and rows, matching experimental observations.
Conclusions:
- Stick-slip adhesion and contractile forces are key to periodic lamellipodial contractions.
- The model offers a novel, simple explanation for contractile waves in cell crawling.
- The findings suggest new experimental avenues to probe cell motility mechanisms.