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Related Concept Videos

Actin Polymerization and Cell Motility01:13

Actin Polymerization and Cell Motility

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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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Cytoskeletal Coordination in Cell Migration01:32

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A migrating cell changes its shape during the cyclic events of attachment and detachment from the substratum and repositions the cell organelles correspondingly. These complex events are orchestrated by the dynamic cytoskeletal network comprising actin filaments, intermediate filaments, and microtubules. Cytoskeletal crosstalk — the direct and indirect communication between the different components — is crucial for this coordination. Direct communication involves various linker...
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Polarity of the Cytoskeleton01:18

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The intrinsic polarity of cells can be primarily attributed to two factors- i) the asymmetric accumulation of mobile components such are regulatory molecules and subcellular components across the cell and ii) the orientation of polar cytoskeletal filaments that make up the cytoskeletal networks, specifically microfilaments, and microtubules arranged along the axis of polarity. Interactions between the cytoskeletal filaments are crucial for the establishment and maintenance of the polar nature...
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Formation of Higher-order Actin Filaments01:11

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The polymerization of G-actin monomers into filamentous F-actin is a multi-step process. Once the F-actins are formed, they can bundle together in different arrangements to form higher-order networks and regulate cellular functions. Common examples include the formation of lamellipodia and filopodia at the cell's leading edge by actin reorganization in a migrating cell. The microvilli on the brush border epithelial cells are also formed through the F-actin network.
The high-order actin...
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Assembly of Cytoskeletal Filaments01:18

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Cytoskeletal filaments are polymeric forms of smaller protein subunits. However, individual cytoskeletal filaments may easily disassemble or associate with other similar filaments to form rigid structures. Microfilaments, made of actin monomers, rely on actin-binding proteins to form bundles and create networks of individual actin filaments. Microtubules rely on microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) to form sturdy cylindrical structures. However, the proteins involved in forming complex...
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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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Updated: Feb 26, 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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Self-organizing actin patterns shape cytoskeletal cortex organization.

Marco Fritzsche1,2

  • 1MRC Human Immunology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.

Communicative & Integrative Biology
|July 14, 2017
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Biological systems use energy to self-organize structures like the actin cytoskeleton. This study shows how actin patterns adjust cell membranes without altering mechanical properties, crucial for cellular function.

Keywords:
actincortexmembraneself-assemblyself-organization

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Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Cell Biology
  • Systems Biology

Background:

  • Living systems require spatiotemporal organization for biological function.
  • Cellular order arises from energy dissipation, necessitating processes far from thermodynamic equilibrium.
  • Self-organization of the actin cytoskeleton has been theoretically predicted and observed in cell-free systems.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To demonstrate how self-organizing actin patterns influence cellular architecture.
  • To investigate the relationship between actin self-organization and cell mechanical properties.

Main Methods:

  • Theoretical considerations of actin cytoskeleton self-organization.
  • Experimental observation of self-organizing actin patterns in cell-free systems.
  • Analysis of cellular membrane architecture adjustments in response to actin patterns.

Main Results:

  • Self-organizing actin patterns, including vortices, stars, and asters, were observed.
  • These actin patterns enable cells to adjust their membrane architecture.
  • Cell mechanical properties remained unaffected by the observed membrane adjustments.

Conclusions:

  • Self-organization of the actin cytoskeleton plays a key role in dynamic cellular structure adaptation.
  • Actin-driven membrane remodeling can occur independently of changes in overall cell mechanics.
  • Understanding these self-organization principles is vital for comprehending cellular responses and functions.