Symmetry Breaking and Emergence of Directional Flows in Minimal Actomyosin Cortices.

ABSTRACT: Cortical actomyosin flows, among other mechanisms, scale up spontaneous symmetry breaking and thus play pivotal roles in cell differentiation, division, and motility. According to many model systems, myosin motor-induced local contractions of initially isotropic actomyosin cortices are nucleation points for generating cortical flows. However, the positive feedback mechanisms by which spontaneous contractions can be amplified towards large-scale directed flows remain mostly speculative. To investigate such a process on spherical surfaces, we reconstituted and confined initially isotropic minimal actomyosin cortices to the interfaces of emulsion droplets. The presence of ATP leads to myosin-induced local contractions that self-organize and amplify into directed large-scale actomyosin flows.

SUBMITTER: Vogel SK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7349012 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature