Diffusion as a Ruler: Modeling Kinesin Diffusion as a Length Sensor for Intraflagellar Transport.

ABSTRACT: An important question in cell biology is whether cells are able to measure size, either whole cell size or organelle size. Perhaps cells have an internal chemical representation of size that can be used to precisely regulate growth, or perhaps size is just an accident that emerges due to constraint of nutrients. The eukaryotic flagellum is an ideal model for studying size sensing and control because its linear geometry makes it essentially one-dimensional, greatly simplifying mathematical modeling. The assembly of flagella is regulated by intraflagellar transport (IFT), in which kinesin motors carry cargo adaptors for flagellar proteins along the flagellum and then deposit them at the tip, lengthening the flagellum. The rate at which IFT motors are recruited to begin transport into the fla

SUBMITTER: Hendel NL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5985012 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature