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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Measurement of Microtubule Dynamics by Spinning Disk Microscopy in Monopolar Mitotic Spindles

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Published on: November 15, 2019

Directional memory and caged dynamics in cytoskeletal remodelling.

Guillaume Lenormand¹, Julien Chopin, Predrag Bursac

¹Molecular and Integrative Physiological Sciences, Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA. glenorma@hsph.harvard.edu

Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications

|July 17, 2007

Summary

This study reveals directional memory in living cell cytoskeleton displacements. Shorter movements are antipersistent, showing molecular trapping, while longer movements become persistent, indicating cage rearrangements.

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Micromanipulation Techniques Allowing Analysis of Morphogenetic Dynamics and Turnover of Cytoskeletal Regulators

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Published on: May 12, 2018

Area of Science:

Cellular biophysics
Cytoskeletal dynamics
Molecular motors

Background:

Cellular processes rely on cytoskeletal dynamics.
Understanding molecular-scale movements is crucial for cell biology.
Anomalous diffusion suggests memory effects in biological systems.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate directional memory in nanoscale displacements of beads anchored to a cell's cytoskeleton.
To provide direct evidence of molecular trapping and caged dynamics in living cells.
To elucidate the physical mechanisms governing cytoskeletal remodeling.

Main Methods:

Tracking nanoscale displacements of an individual bead attached to the cytoskeleton.
Applying a novel analysis method to identify persistence and antipersistence in movement.
Correlating displacement patterns with ATP hydrolysis and glass transition proximity.

Main Results:

Cytoskeletal displacements exhibit antipersistence at shorter time scales, indicating molecular trapping.
At longer time scales, displacements transition to persistence.
This transition is linked to ATP hydrolysis and proximity to a glass transition.
Memory effects in diffusion are primarily directional, not step-size dependent.

Conclusions:

The findings offer a molecular-scale physical picture of cytoskeletal remodeling.
Directional memory is a key feature of cytoskeletal dynamics.
The study provides insights into the rate of cytoskeletal progression and its underlying physical constraints.