Cytoskeletal Network Morphology Regulates Intracellular Transport Dynamics.

ABSTRACT: Intracellular transport is essential for maintaining proper cellular function in most eukaryotic cells, with perturbations in active transport resulting in several types of disease. Efficient delivery of critical cargos to specific locations is accomplished through a combination of passive diffusion and active transport by molecular motors that ballistically move along a network of cytoskeletal filaments. Although motor-based transport is known to be necessary to overcome cytoplasmic crowding and the limited range of diffusion within reasonable timescales, the topological features of the cytoskeletal network that regulate transport efficiency and robustness have not been established. Using a continuum diffusion model, we observed that the time required for cellular transport was minimized

SUBMITTER: Ando D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4624159 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature