Mechanically induced topological transition of spectrin regulates its distribution in the mammalian cell cortex.

ABSTRACT: The cell cortex is a dynamic assembly formed by the plasma membrane and underlying cytoskeleton. As the main determinant of cell shape, the cortex ensures its integrity during passive and active deformations by adapting cytoskeleton topologies through yet poorly understood mechanisms. The spectrin meshwork ensures such adaptation in erythrocytes and neurons by adopting different organizations. Erythrocytes rely on triangular-like lattices of spectrin tetramers, whereas in neurons they are organized in parallel, periodic arrays. Since spectrin is ubiquitously expressed, we exploited Expansion Microscopy to discover that, in fibroblasts, distinct meshwork densities co-exist. Through biophysical measurements and computational modeling, we show that the non-polarized spectrin meshwork, with th

SUBMITTER: Ghisleni A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11231315 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature