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Updated: Jul 6, 2025
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Xenopus laevis Egg Extract Preparation and Live Imaging Methods for Visualizing Dynamic Cytoplasmic Organization
Published on: June 6, 2021
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Robust trigger wave speed in Xenopus cytoplasmic extracts
Jo-Hsi Huang1,2, Yuping Chen1,2, William Y C Huang1
1Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305-5174, USA.
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|January 8, 2024
Summary
Trigger waves in cytoplasm maintain speed despite concentration changes. This robustness, crucial for cell communication and rapid embryonic cell cycles, is explained by balanced reactant and viscosity effects.
Area of Science:
- Cellular Biology
- Biophysics
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Self-regenerating trigger waves provide reliable long-range communication within the cytoplasm.
- Cytoplasmic macromolecular concentration fluctuates due to physiological and environmental changes.
- The impact of these fluctuations on trigger wave robustness remains an open question.
Conclusions:
- Trigger wave speed robustness is maintained by a delicate balance of opposing concentration-dependent effects.
- This invariance ensures reliable cellular communication despite cytoplasmic variability.
- Robust trigger wave propagation likely contributes to the efficiency of the rapid embryonic cell cycle.
