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Related Concept Videos

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...
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Actin and myosin are contractile proteins that form the sarcomere found in skeletal muscle tissues for regulating muscle contraction. Actin, a globular contractile protein, interacts with myosin for muscle contraction. The skeletal tissue appears striped or striated under a microscope due to the repeated arrangement of contractile proteins actin and myosin along the length of myofibrils. Dark A bands and light I bands repeat along myofibrils, and the alignment of myofibrils in the cell causes...
Smooth Muscle Contraction01:25

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Smooth muscle contraction is a complex process vital for various bodily functions, from maintaining blood vessel tension to facilitating the movement of food through the digestive tract. Unlike striated muscles, smooth muscle contraction begins more slowly and lasts longer.
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Actin Polymerization and Cell Motility01:13

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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.
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The Contractile Ring02:15

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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.
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Active contractility in actomyosin networks.

Shenshen Wang1, Peter G Wolynes

  • 1Department of Physics, Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|April 12, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study models actomyosin networks, revealing how motor proteins and filament interactions drive cell contractility. Cooperative motor action in force-percolating networks integrates local events into global contraction, essential for development.

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Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Cell Biology
  • Computational Biology

Background:

  • Contractile forces govern cell shape and tissue development.
  • Actomyosin networks exhibit active contractility dependent on motor and cross-linker concentrations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a microscopic dynamic model of actomyosin self-organization.
  • To investigate the role of motor concentration and filament properties in macroscopic contractility.

Main Methods:

  • Computer simulations of a dynamic model incorporating actin filament mechanics and myosin motor activity.
  • Analysis of motor concentration, susceptibility, and network connectivity effects.

Main Results:

  • The model captures contractile structure formation and dynamics.
  • Active contractility emerges above a threshold motor concentration.
  • Cooperative motor action drives global contraction via active coarsening.

Conclusions:

  • Microscopic properties of actin filaments and myosin motors dictate macroscopic contractility.
  • The model explains contractility onset and regulation in actomyosin networks.