Protrusion and actin assembly are coupled to the organization of lamellar contractile structures.

ABSTRACT: Directed cell migration requires continuous cycles of protrusion of the leading edge and contraction to pull up the cell rear. How these spatially distributed processes are coordinated to maintain a state of persistent protrusion remains unknown. During wound healing responses of epithelial sheets, cells along the wound edge display two distinct morphologies: 'leader cells' exhibit persistent edge protrusions, while the greater majority of 'follower cells' randomly cycle between protrusion and retraction. Here, we exploit the heterogeneity in cell morphodynamic behaviors to deduce the requirements in terms of cytoskeleton dynamics for persistent and sporadic protrusion events. We used quantitative Fluorescent Speckle Microscopy (qFSM) to compare rates of F-actin assembly and flow relative

SUBMITTER: Lim JI 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2900543 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature