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Updated: Oct 19, 2025
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A Versatile Method of Patterning Proteins and Cells
Published on: February 26, 2017
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Cell patterning by secretion-induced plasma membrane flows.
Veneta Gerganova1, Iker Lamas1, David M Rutkowski2
1Department of Fundamental Microbiology, University of Lausanne, CH-1015, Switzerland.
Science Advances
|September 17, 2021
Summary
Cellular self-organization involves membrane flows that restrict protein activity zones. Polarized exocytosis drives these flows, influencing cell shape and patterning through negative feedback mechanisms.
Area of Science:
- Cell biology
- Biophysics
- Systems biology
Background:
- Cells utilize reaction-diffusion and fluid-flow principles for self-organization.
- The role of bulk membrane flows in cell patterning remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if polarized exocytosis-induced membrane flows contribute to cell patterning.
- To elucidate the mechanism by which membrane flows influence protein distribution and cell shape.
Main Methods:
- Mathematical modeling
- Optogenetics
- Synthetic probes
- Analysis of protein distribution in fission yeast
Main Results:
- Polarized exocytosis generates lateral membrane flows away from insertion sites.
- Membrane-associated proteins with low diffusion/detachment rates couple to these flows, leading to depletion from exocytosis regions.
- Membrane flows pattern the distribution of the GTPase activating protein (GAP) Rga4.
- Coupling a synthetic GAP to membrane flows is sufficient to establish rod-like cell shape.
Conclusions:
- Membrane flows induced by Cdc42-dependent exocytosis create a negative feedback loop.
- This feedback mechanism restricts the zone of Cdc42 activity, contributing to cell shape determination.
- Membrane flows are a critical factor in cellular self-organization and patterning.
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