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Related Concept Videos

Actin Polymerization and Cell Motility01:13

Actin Polymerization and Cell Motility

Actin is a family of globular proteins that are highly abundant in eukaryotic cells. It makes up approximately 1-5% of total cell protein concentration. Actin monomers polymerize to form a complex network of polarized filaments, the actin cytoskeleton, that plays a crucial role in many cellular processes, including cell motility, division, endocytosis, and metastasis of cancer cells.
Actin cytoskeleton dynamics can produce pushing, pulling, and resistance forces that help the cell to migrate.
Mechanism of Lamellipodia Formation01:31

Mechanism of Lamellipodia Formation

Cells migrating in response to external stimuli form lamellipodia, which are thin membrane protrusions supported by a mesh of linked, branched, or unbranched actin filaments. These actin filaments interact with myosin motor proteins, creating the dynamic actomyosin complex within the cytoskeleton. Contractility, or the ability to generate contractile stress, is inherent to the actomyosin complex. It helps cells detect the stiffness of the surrounding ECM and exert contractile force for...
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...
Role of Myosin in Cell Migration01:18

Role of Myosin in Cell Migration

Myosins are multimeric motor proteins involved in various cellular processes such as migration, adhesion, and proliferation. Myosin II is the most common type in animal cells, which binds and cross-links actin filaments.
Myosin II  is a hexamer comprising two heavy chains with globular heads and coiled-coil tails, two regulatory light chains, and two essential light chains. The ATPase sites on the myosin heads hydrolyze ATP, and the released phosphate generates the force for contraction. It is...
Actin Polymerization01:42

Actin Polymerization

Actin polymerization occurs through the head-to-tail association of binding sites on monomeric actin or G-actin to form filamentous or F-actin. The polymerization can be divided into three phases ̶  nucleation, elongation, and steady-state phase.
The nucleation phase involves forming a stable nucleus consisting of three actin monomers to form a new actin filament. Actin-binding proteins such as formins and Arp2/3 complex help filament growth post-nucleation. The Formins form straight actin...
Cell Migration01:09

Cell Migration

Cell migration, the process by which cells move from one location to another, is essential for the proper development and viability of organisms throughout their life. When cells are not able to migrate properly to their ordained locations, various disorders may occur. For example, disruption in cell migration causes chronic inflammatory diseases such as arthritis.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 25, 2026

Reconstitution of Actin-Based Motility with Commercially Available Proteins
08:40

Reconstitution of Actin-Based Motility with Commercially Available Proteins

Published on: October 28, 2022

Cell motility resulting from spontaneous polymerization waves.

K Doubrovinski1, K Kruse

  • 1Theoretische Physik, Universität des Saarlandes, 66041 Saarbrücken, Germany.

Physical Review Letters
|January 17, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Cell crawling relies on the actin cytoskeleton. Spontaneous cytoskeletal waves can organize actin filaments to generate directed cell motion and lateral membrane waves, mimicking cell spreading.

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Last Updated: May 25, 2026

Reconstitution of Actin-Based Motility with Commercially Available Proteins
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Biophysical Characterization of Flagellar Motor Functions
06:08

Biophysical Characterization of Flagellar Motor Functions

Published on: January 18, 2017

Area of Science:

  • Cell biology
  • Biophysics
  • Cytoskeletal dynamics

Background:

  • Cell crawling is crucial for biological processes.
  • The actin cytoskeleton drives cell motility.
  • Mechanisms of directed cell motion remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Investigate if spontaneous cytoskeletal waves orchestrate actin networks for directed motion.
  • Explore wave generation and propagation in confined systems.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a mean-field model of treadmilling filaments and nucleating proteins.
  • Simulated a system confined by a boundary mimicking cell membranes.

Main Results:

  • Demonstrated that spontaneous waves can generate directional cell movement.
  • Observed the production of lateral waves along the confining boundary.
  • Findings align with experimental observations in spreading cells.

Conclusions:

  • Spontaneous actin-based waves are a viable mechanism for directed cell migration.
  • The model successfully reproduces key features of cell motility and membrane dynamics.