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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 31, 2026

Imaging G Protein-coupled Receptor-mediated Chemotaxis and its Signaling Events in Neutrophil-like HL60 Cells

Imaging G Protein-coupled Receptor-mediated Chemotaxis and its Signaling Events in Neutrophil-like HL60 Cells

Published on: September 14, 2016

Activated membrane patches guide chemotactic cell motility.

Inbal Hecht¹, Monica L Skoge, Pascale G Charest

¹Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America. inbal.hecht@gmail.com

Plos Computational Biology

|July 9, 2011

Summary

Cellular crawling relies on signaling patches that guide membrane protrusions. This study models how RasGTP localization drives amoeboid cell motion and pseudopod dynamics.

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Imaging G-protein Coupled Receptor (GPCR)-mediated Signaling Events that Control Chemotaxis of Dictyostelium Discoideum

Published on: September 20, 2011

Area of Science:

Cell Biology
Biophysics
Computational Biology

Background:

Eukaryotic cells exhibit directed motility (crawling) guided by environmental cues.
Cellular signaling systems interpret cues, coupling to cell mechanics and forming activated membrane patches.
These patches, areas of concentrated signaling components, are linked to membrane protrusions.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the relationship between activated signaling patches and cell motion.
To examine the spatial localization of RasGTP in chemotaxing Dictyostelium discoideum cells.
To develop and validate a model for amoeboid cell motion.

Main Methods:

Quantitative analysis of RasGTP spatial localization in restricted-height Dictyostelium discoideum cells.
Formulation of a two-module computational model for cell motility.
Incorporation of a reaction-diffusion model for signaling patch dynamics and a mechanics module for protrusion formation.

Main Results:

High spatial correlation observed between activated Ras patches and membrane protrusions.
The model successfully generated realistic amoeboid-like motion.
Numerical results align with experimental observations of pseudopod dynamics, including splitting.

Conclusions:

Activated signaling patches, specifically RasGTP, are key drivers of amoeboid cell motion.
The developed model accurately simulates cell crawling behavior and pseudopod dynamics.
Signaling patch dynamics can directly explain phenomena like pseudopod splitting.