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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...
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Microtubules are thick hollow cylindrical proteins that help form the cytoskeleton. Microtubules have varied roles in the cell. These filaments help form cellular appendages like cilia and flagella, which are responsible for locomotion. The cilia arise from basal bodies, separated from the main body by a membrane-like structure forming the transition zone. This zone is the gate for the entry of lipids and proteins, creating a unique composition of lipids and proteins in the ciliary membrane and...
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The Mechanics of Poro-Elastic Contractile Actomyosin Networks As a Model System of the Cell Cytoskeleton
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Cell mechanics: a dialogue.

Jiaxiang Tao1,2, Yizeng Li1,3, Dhruv K Vig1,3

  • 1Departments of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore MD, United States of America.

Reports on Progress in Physics. Physical Society (Great Britain)
|January 28, 2017
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Eukaryotic animal cells change shape and move through physical mechanisms like cytoskeletal dynamics and fluid flow. This review details how cells control mass flux for shape, volume, and mechanosensation.

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Area of Science:

  • Cellular Biophysics
  • Mechanobiology
  • Biomedical Engineering

Background:

  • Eukaryotic animal cells exhibit diverse shapes and dynamic movements crucial for cell biology, tissue mechanics, and disease.
  • Understanding the physical mechanisms underlying cell deformation and motility is fundamental.
  • Existing models often simplify the complex interplay of internal structures and external forces.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review basic mechanical concepts in cell biology, focusing on continuum mechanics of cytoskeletal networks.
  • To elucidate the role of mass flux at the cell boundary in generating cell movement and shape changes.
  • To present a quantitative model for cell shape and volume control integrating hydraulic pressure and force balance.

Main Methods:

  • Description of cytoskeletal networks using continuum mechanics principles.
  • Analysis of hydrodynamic flows across the cell membrane.
  • Integration of actin polymerization/depolymerization dynamics.
  • Modeling of osmotic and hydraulic pressure-driven water flow.
  • Application of force balance conditions at the cell surface.

Main Results:

  • Cells generate movement and shape changes by actively controlling mass fluxes at their boundaries.
  • Actin cytoskeleton dynamics (polymerization/depolymerization) contribute significantly to these mass fluxes.
  • A quantitative model combining hydraulic pressure and force balance effectively explains cell shape and volume control.
  • The proposed model offers insights into cell mechanosensation and tissue mechanics.

Conclusions:

  • Cellular mechanics are governed by fundamental physical principles involving continuum mechanics and hydrodynamics.
  • Mass flux control at the cell boundary is a key mechanism for cell shape, volume, and motility.
  • The integration of hydraulic pressure and force balance provides a robust framework for understanding cell shape regulation.
  • This mechanistic understanding has broad implications for cell mechanosensation and the mechanics of tissues.