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Related Concept Videos

Protein Diffusion in the Membrane01:24

Protein Diffusion in the Membrane

Proteins show rotational as well as lateral diffusion across the membrane. The lateral diffusion of proteins was confirmed through the cell fusion experiment where mouse and human cells were fused, resulting in hybrid cells. When the human and mouse cells fused, the specific membrane proteins on human and mouse cells were marked with the red and green-fluorescent markers, respectively. Initially, the red and green fluorescence was located on the respective hemisphere of the cell. As time...
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...
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...
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 Filopodia Formation01:39

Mechanism of Filopodia Formation

Filopodia are thin, actin-rich cellular protrusions that play an important role in many fundamental cellular functions. They vary in their occurrence, length, and positioning in different cell types, suggesting their diverse roles.
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Mechanisms of Membrane-bending

The living membranes are flexible due to their fluid mosaic nature; however, their bending into different shapes is an active process regulated by specific lipids and proteins. The membrane bending can be transient as seen in vesicles or stable for a long time as in microvilli. Cells regulate the size, location, and duration of the membrane curvature.
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Reconstitution of Membrane-Tethered Minimal Actin Cortices on Supported Lipid Bilayers
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Published on: July 12, 2022

Lateral membrane diffusion modulated by a minimal actin cortex.

Fabian Heinemann1, Sven K Vogel, Petra Schwille

  • 1Max-Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany.

Biophysical Journal
|April 9, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The cell membrane

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Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Biophysics

Background:

  • Lateral diffusion of membrane lipids and proteins is crucial for cellular functions like signaling.
  • The cell membrane's associated cytoskeleton is hypothesized to modulate this diffusion.
  • Understanding this modulation is key to comprehending membrane dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the direct impact of an actin meshwork on membrane diffusion.
  • To quantify the relationship between actin density and the mobility of lipid and protein probes.
  • To explore the role of actin mesh contraction in regulating diffusion dynamics.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a minimal actin cortex system for controlled experiments.
  • Employed fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) to measure lateral diffusion.
  • Integrated Monte Carlo simulations to support experimental data analysis.

Main Results:

  • Observed a direct correlation between actin density and reduced mobility for both lipid and protein probes.
  • Noted a significantly stronger effect (∼3.5-fold) on protein probe diffusion compared to lipid probes at high actin densities.
  • Demonstrated reversible switching between fast and slow diffusion by contracting the actin mesh with myosin filaments.

Conclusions:

  • Cortical actin significantly influences membrane diffusion, with a stronger effect on larger protein probes than lipids.
  • This suggests a size-dependent mechanism by which cortical actin controls membrane diffusion.
  • The findings provide direct evidence for the cytoskeleton's role in regulating membrane protein and lipid mobility.