The endoplasmic reticulum as an active liquid network.

ABSTRACT: The peripheral endoplasmic reticulum (ER) forms a dense, interconnected, and constantly evolving network of membrane-bound tubules in eukaryotic cells. While individual structural elements and the morphogens that stabilize them have been described, a quantitative understanding of the dynamic large-scale network topology remains elusive. We develop a physical model of the ER as an active liquid network, governed by a balance of tension-driven shrinking and new tubule growth. This minimalist model gives rise to steady-state network structures with density and rearrangement timescales predicted from the junction mobility and tubule spawning rate. Several parameter-independent geometric features of the liquid network model are shown to be representative of ER architecture in live mammalian cel

SUBMITTER: Scott ZC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11494354 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature