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Related Concept Videos

Actin Polymerization and Cell Motility01:13

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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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3D single cell migration driven by temporal correlation between oscillating force dipoles.

Amélie Luise Godeau1, Marco Leoni2,3, Jordi Comelles1

  • 1Laboratory of Cell Physics, ISIS/IGBMC, UMR 7104, Inserm, and University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.

Elife
|July 28, 2022
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Cells break symmetry for directional movement by creating synchronized, phase-shifted force dipoles. This mechanism, inspired by micro-swimmer dynamics, controls cell motility in 3D matrices.

Keywords:
cell derived matrixcell motilitycytoskeletonmechanobiologymultipolar expansionphysics of living systems

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Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Biophysics
  • Mechanobiology

Background:

  • Directional cell locomotion relies on symmetry breaking.
  • Cells in 3D matrices exhibit complex dynamics, unlike simpler actin flows.
  • Understanding symmetry breaking in these cells is crucial for cell motility research.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the mechanism of symmetry breaking in cells moving within 3D matrices.
  • To investigate how cells achieve directional locomotion when actin dynamics are not coherent.
  • To draw parallels between cell motility and micro-swimmer dynamics.

Main Methods:

  • 3D live cell imaging and matrix displacement visualization.
  • Development of a minimal model using multipolar expansion.
  • Experimental validation using laser-induced dipolar contractions.

Main Results:

  • Cells form synchronized, myosin-driven force dipoles around the nucleus in 3D matrices.
  • A phase shift between these force dipoles is essential for directed cell motion.
  • This process is formally equivalent to the Purcell cycle observed in micro-swimmers.

Conclusions:

  • Cells synchronize front and back dipolar forces to control motility in 3D environments.
  • This mechanism offers new strategies for external control of cell motion.
  • Findings inform the design of bio-inspired micro-crawlers.