dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaCompeting Polymerization of Actin Skeleton explains Relation between Network Polarity and Cell Movements
| Authors | B. Nandy, A. Baumgaertner |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | q-bio/0501024 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/q-bio/0501024 |
| DOI | 10.1088/0953-8984/17/20/014 |
Abstract
Based on experimental observations it is known that various biological cells exhibit a persistent random walk during migration on flat substrates. The persistent random walk is characterized by `stop-and-go' movements : unidirectional motions over distances of the order of several cell diameter are separated by localized short time erratic movements. Using computer simulations the reasons for this phenomena had been unveiled and shown to be attributed to two antagonistic nucleation processes during the polymerization of the cell's actin cytoskeleton : the (ordinary) spontaneous nucleation and the dendritic nucleation processes. Whereas spontaneous nucleations generate actin filaments growing in different directions and hence create motions in random directions, dendritic nucleations provide a unidirectional growth. Since dendritic growth exhibits stochastic fluctuations, spontaneous nucleation may eventually compete or even dominate, which results in a reorientation of filament growth and hence a new direction of cell motion. The event of reorientation takes place at instants of vanishing polarity of the actin skeleton.
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"abstract": "Based on experimental observations it is known that various biological cells\nexhibit a persistent random walk during migration on flat substrates. The\npersistent random walk is characterized by `stop-and-go\u0027 movements :\nunidirectional motions over distances of the order of several cell diameter are\nseparated by localized short time erratic movements. Using computer simulations\nthe reasons for this phenomena had been unveiled and shown to be attributed to\ntwo antagonistic nucleation processes during the polymerization of the cell\u0027s\nactin cytoskeleton : the (ordinary) spontaneous nucleation and the dendritic\nnucleation processes. Whereas spontaneous nucleations generate actin filaments\ngrowing in different directions and hence create motions in random directions,\ndendritic nucleations provide a unidirectional growth. Since dendritic growth\nexhibits stochastic fluctuations, spontaneous nucleation may eventually compete\nor even dominate, which results in a reorientation of filament growth and hence\na new direction of cell motion. The event of reorientation takes place at\ninstants of vanishing polarity of the actin skeleton.",
"arxiv_id": "q-bio/0501024",
"authors": [
"B. Nandy",
"A. Baumgaertner"
],
"categories": [
"q-bio.SC"
],
"doi": "10.1088/0953-8984/17/20/014",
"title": "Competing Polymerization of Actin Skeleton explains Relation between Network Polarity and Cell Movements",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/q-bio/0501024"
},
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