Cells as liquid motors: mechanosensitivity emerges from collective dynamics of actomyosin cortex.

ABSTRACT: Living cells adapt and respond actively to the mechanical properties of their environment. In addition to biochemical mechanotransduction, evidence exists for a myosin-dependent purely mechanical sensitivity to the stiffness of the surroundings at the scale of the whole cell. Using a minimal model of the dynamics of actomyosin cortex, we show that the interplay of myosin power strokes with the rapidly remodeling actin network results in a regulation of force and cell shape that adapts to the stiffness of the environment. Instantaneous changes of the environment stiffness are found to trigger an intrinsic mechanical response of the actomyosin cortex. Cortical retrograde flow resulting from actin polymerization at the edges is shown to be modulated by the stress resulting from myosin contrac

SUBMITTER: Etienne J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4352826 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature