The ordered extension of pseudopodia by amoeboid cells in the absence of external cues.

ABSTRACT: Eukaryotic cells extend pseudopodia for movement. In the absence of external cues, cells move in random directions, but with a strong element of persistence that keeps them moving in the same direction Persistence allows cells to disperse over larger areas and is instrumental to enter new environments where spatial cues can lead the cell. Here we explore cell movement by analyzing the direction, size and timing of approximately 2000 pseudopodia that are extended by Dictyostelium cells. The results show that pseudpopod are extended perpendicular to the surface curvature at the place where they emerge. The location of new pseudopods is not random but highly ordered. Two types of pseudopodia may be formed: frequent splitting of an existing pseudopod, or the occasional extension of a de novo p

SUBMITTER: Bosgraaf L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2668753 | biostudies-literature | 2009

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature