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Superdiffusion dominates intracellular particle motion in the supercrowded cytoplasm of pathogenic Acanthamoeba

Julia F Reverey1, Jae-Hyung Jeon2, Han Bao1

  • 1Institute for Materials Science, Biocompatible Nanomaterials, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Kaiserstr. 2, D-24143 Kiel, Germany.

Scientific Reports
|July 1, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Intracellular particle motion in Acanthamoeba castellanii is superdiffusive, driven primarily by myosin II motors and influenced by cell locomotion and cytoskeletal elements, not simple diffusion.

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Biophysics
  • Microbiology

Background:

  • Acanthamoebae are free-living protists and human pathogens.
  • Intracellular vesicle and granule transport is crucial for cellular functions and pathogenicity in Acanthamoebae.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the nature of intracellular particle motion in Acanthamoeba castellanii.
  • To identify the key factors driving intracellular motion, including cell locomotion, cytoskeletal elements, and motor proteins.

Main Methods:

  • High-speed live cell imaging.
  • Single-particle tracking analysis.
  • Analysis of cytoskeletal elements (microtubules, actin) and myosin II motor contribution.

Main Results:

  • Intracellular particle motion in Acanthamoeba castellanii is strongly superdiffusive.
  • Cell locomotion significantly contributes to, but does not solely explain, superdiffusive motion.
  • Myosin II motors are identified as a major driving force for intracellular motion.

Conclusions:

  • Active transport, particularly myosin II-driven motion, is essential for significant intracellular movement in the crowded cytoplasm of Acanthamoeba castellanii.
  • Passive diffusion is negligible in driving intracellular particle motion in this organism.

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