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 Concept Videos

The Contractile Ring02:15

The Contractile Ring

Contractile rings are composed of microfilaments and are responsible for separating the daughter cells during cytokinesis. Contractile ring assembly proceeds along with other cell cycle events; however, very few mechanistic details are known about the timing and coordination of the contractile rings with the cell cycle.
A small GTPase, RhoA, controls the function and assembly of the contractile ring. RhoA belongs to the Ras superfamily of proteins. The activation of formins by RhoA promotes...
The Contractile Ring02:15

The Contractile Ring

Contractile rings are composed of microfilaments and are responsible for separating the daughter cells during cytokinesis. Contractile ring assembly proceeds along with other cell cycle events; however, very few mechanistic details are known about the timing and coordination of the contractile rings with the cell cycle.
A small GTPase, RhoA, controls the function and assembly of the contractile ring. RhoA belongs to the Ras superfamily of proteins. The activation of formins by RhoA promotes...
Cell Motility through Blebbing01:16

Cell Motility through Blebbing

Blebs are a type of membrane protrusion formed by the internal hydrostatic pressure of the cytoplasm. Blebs are observed in several cell types, including fibroblasts, immune cells, and single-celled organisms like the amoeba. The primary function of blebs is cell locomotion and apoptosis, but they are also found during necrosis and cell division. The life cycle of a bleb comprises an initiation phase followed by the expansion and retraction phases.
Blebbing Through the Matrix
In multicellular...
Tension Response at Adherens Junctions01:26

Tension Response at Adherens Junctions

The adherens junctions that anchor cells together are multi-protein complexes that dynamically adapt to mechanical stimuli such as tensile forces and shear stress. Mechanosensory proteins in these junctions can sense such mechanical stimuli and undergo a shift in their conformation, resulting in an altered function — a process called mechanotransduction.
α-Catenin as a Mechanosensory Protein
The α-catenin of adherens junctions is an allosteric protein with three VH (vinculin homology) domains...
The Role of Actin and Myosin in Non-muscle Cells01:10

The Role of Actin and Myosin in Non-muscle Cells

Actin and myosin or actomyosin filaments also play a significant role in cells other than those involved in muscle contraction (which occurs within the sarcomere of muscle cells). The mechanism of non-muscle cell contractile bundles was first observed in Dictyostelium and Acanthamoeba. In non-muscle cells, two bundles are commonly found: stress fibers and actomyosin adherence belts. These contractile bundles are smaller and less organized than the ones found in muscle cells. They  are held...
Cell-matrix's Response to Mechanical Forces01:13

Cell-matrix's Response to Mechanical Forces

In animal cells, the extracellular matrix allows cells within tissues to withstand external stresses and transmits signals from the outside of the cell to the inside. The extracellular matrix is extensive, and its composition varies between different types of tissues. For example, the reticular fibers and ground substance make up the ECM in loose connective tissue, while collagen and bone minerals make up the ECM of bone tissue. 
Anchoring junctions mechanically attach a cell to the...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Bitesize bundles F-actin and influences actin remodeling in syncytial Drosophila embryo development.

The Journal of cell biology·2026
Same author

SETD2 Deficiency Drives Mitochondrial DNA Leakage and Creates a Druggable Dependency on BCL-XL in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma.

Cancer research·2026
Same author

Pharmacologic and Oncohistone Inhibition of SETD2 Converge on Genomic Instability.

Cancers·2026
Same author

Lysine demethylase 4A is a centrosome-associated protein required for centrosome integrity and genomic stability.

The FEBS journal·2025
Same author

A SETD2-CDK1-lamin axis maintains nuclear morphology and genome stability.

Nature cell biology·2025
Same author

A lateral tension model for mouse cranial neural tube closure.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025
Same journal

Temporal trajectories underlying adult neuronal diversity.

Current opinion in genetics & development·2026
Same journal

Transcription regulation of cell fate plasticity - from embryonic development to tissue regeneration.

Current opinion in genetics & development·2026
Same journal

Shared molecular and cellular programs during regeneration of glandular epithelia.

Current opinion in genetics & development·2026
Same journal

Lineage tracing in human cortical development.

Current opinion in genetics & development·2026
Same journal

Cis-regulatory strategies in developmental patterning.

Current opinion in genetics & development·2026
Same journal

GABAergic neuron fate specification and lineage allocation: from development to disorder.

Current opinion in genetics & development·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 29, 2026

Tuning the Contractility and Deformation Modes of Active Actin-Based Assemblies In Vitro: From Two-Dimensional Active Networks to Liquid Crystal Drops
06:48

Tuning the Contractility and Deformation Modes of Active Actin-Based Assemblies In Vitro: From Two-Dimensional Active Networks to Liquid Crystal Drops

Published on: July 11, 2025

Tuning cell shape change with contractile ratchets.

Frank M Mason1, Adam C Martin

  • 1Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.

Current Opinion in Genetics & Development
|September 7, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Cell shape changes are crucial for embryonic development. New research reveals ratchet-like actomyosin network behaviors that drive these changes, coordinating tissue architecture and organismal body plan formation.

More Related Videos

Simplified, High-throughput Analysis of Single-cell Contractility using Micropatterned Elastomers
14:33

Simplified, High-throughput Analysis of Single-cell Contractility using Micropatterned Elastomers

Published on: April 8, 2022

Single Cell Durotaxis Assay for Assessing Mechanical Control of Cellular Movement and Related Signaling Events
08:30

Single Cell Durotaxis Assay for Assessing Mechanical Control of Cellular Movement and Related Signaling Events

Published on: August 27, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 29, 2026

Tuning the Contractility and Deformation Modes of Active Actin-Based Assemblies In Vitro: From Two-Dimensional Active Networks to Liquid Crystal Drops
06:48

Tuning the Contractility and Deformation Modes of Active Actin-Based Assemblies In Vitro: From Two-Dimensional Active Networks to Liquid Crystal Drops

Published on: July 11, 2025

Simplified, High-throughput Analysis of Single-cell Contractility using Micropatterned Elastomers
14:33

Simplified, High-throughput Analysis of Single-cell Contractility using Micropatterned Elastomers

Published on: April 8, 2022

Single Cell Durotaxis Assay for Assessing Mechanical Control of Cellular Movement and Related Signaling Events
08:30

Single Cell Durotaxis Assay for Assessing Mechanical Control of Cellular Movement and Related Signaling Events

Published on: August 27, 2019

Area of Science:

  • Cell biology
  • Developmental biology
  • Biophysics

Background:

  • Cell shape dynamics are essential for organismal development and function.
  • Embryonic development, particularly gastrulation, involves significant cell shape changes driving tissue-level rearrangements.
  • Understanding the mechanisms of force generation for cell shape change is a key biological question.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the mechanisms by which forces are generated to alter cell shape during development.
  • To identify and characterize the regulatory modules controlling cell shape changes.
  • To understand how coordinated cell shape changes contribute to tissue architecture and body plan formation.

Main Methods:

  • Live imaging of cells in culture and developing embryos.
  • Computational analysis of cell and tissue dynamics.
  • Genetic manipulation to probe molecular functions.
  • Biophysical techniques to measure forces and deformations.

Main Results:

  • Ratchet-like behaviors in actomyosin networks were identified as a key mechanism for incremental cell shape change.
  • These behaviors drive cell movement and tissue deformation.
  • Four distinct regulatory modules associated with ratchet-like deformations were proposed.
  • These modules are tuned to generate diverse cell behaviors and coordinate tissue-wide shape changes.

Conclusions:

  • Actomyosin network dynamics exhibit ratchet-like behaviors that are fundamental to cell shape change.
  • These mechanisms provide a framework for understanding how cells generate forces to alter shape and drive developmental processes.
  • The proposed regulatory modules offer insights into the coordination of cell shape changes across tissues during embryonic development.