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Related Concept Videos

The Role of Actin and Myosin in Non-muscle Cells01:10

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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...
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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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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.
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Excitation-contraction coupling is a series of events that occur between generating an action potential and initiating a muscle contraction. It occurs at the triad, a structure found in skeletal muscle fibers that comprise a T-tubule and terminal cisternae of the sarcoplasmic reticulum on each side. These triads are visible in longitudinally sectioned muscle fibers. They are typically located at the A-I junction — the junction between the A and I bands of the sarcomere.
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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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Updated: Mar 8, 2026

Tuning the Contractility and Deformation Modes of Active Actin-Based Assemblies In Vitro: From Two-Dimensional Active Networks to Liquid Crystal Drops
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Controlling contractile instabilities in the actomyosin cortex.

Masatoshi Nishikawa1,2,3, Sundar Ram Naganathan1,2,3, Frank Jülicher2

  • 1Biotechnology Center, Technical University Dresden, Dresden, Germany.

Elife
|January 25, 2017
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The actomyosin cell cortex, crucial for cell shape changes, can become unstable. A RhoA oscillator in C. elegans zygotes controls myosin activity, preventing collapse and enabling robust morphogenesis.

Keywords:
C. elegansactive gelactomyosin cortexbiophysicscontractile instabilitypattern formationstructural biology

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Area of Science:

  • Cell biology
  • Biophysics
  • Developmental biology

Background:

  • The actomyosin cell cortex drives cell and tissue morphogenesis.
  • Cortical actomyosin can exhibit unstable behavior, forming myosin foci.
  • The mechanisms controlling cortical stability during morphogenesis are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Investigate the regulation of actomyosin cortex stability in the Caenorhabditis elegans zygote.
  • Understand how inherent contractile instabilities are managed to drive morphogenesis.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized the Caenorhabditis elegans zygote as a model system.
  • Investigated the feedback mechanisms between RhoA and myosin in the actomyosin cortex.
  • Identified a RhoA pacemaking oscillator controlling cortical dynamics.

Main Results:

  • Discovered feedback between active RhoA and myosin induces contractile instability.
  • Identified an independent RhoA pacemaking oscillator that governs this instability.
  • Observed that this oscillator generates pulsatile myosin foci, preventing material collapse.

Conclusions:

  • Contractile instabilities in the actomyosin cortex can be biochemically controlled.
  • A RhoA pacemaking oscillator ensures robust morphogenesis by stabilizing the cortex.
  • This study reveals a mechanism for managing mechanical instabilities in active biological materials.