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Cracking up: symmetry breaking in cellular systems.

Ewa Paluch1, Jasper van der Gucht, Cécile Sykes

  • 1Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden 01307, Germany.

The Journal of Cell Biology
|December 6, 2006
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Animal cell shape relies on the actin cortex. Tension in this network can cause spontaneous rupture and flows, similar to actin gels, suggesting a common underlying mechanism for cell deformation and polarization.

Area of Science:

  • Cell biology
  • Biophysics
  • Cytoskeleton dynamics

Background:

  • The animal cell's shape is largely dictated by the cortical actin network.
  • This network, containing myosin motors, is under tension, and its local relaxation drives cortical flows, leading to cell deformation and polarization.
  • While polarizing signals often regulate cortex relaxation, spontaneous rupture can also occur.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the mechanisms of actin cortex relaxation and its role in cell shape dynamics.
  • To explore the potential commonality in tension-induced polarization between animal cell cortices and growing actin gels.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of actin cortex tension and relaxation dynamics in animal cells.
  • Experimental observation of actin gels growing around beads to study tension-induced polarization.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Local relaxation of cortical actin tension can induce significant cell deformation and polarization.
  • Similar tension-induced polarization phenomena were observed in actin gels growing around beads.
  • These findings suggest a shared mechanism governing rupture and relaxation in both systems.

Conclusions:

  • A common mechanism likely governs actin gel rupture in both cellular and in vitro systems.
  • Understanding actin cortex dynamics is crucial for comprehending cell shape, deformation, and polarization.