Actomyosin Contraction Induces In-Bulk Motility of Cells and Droplets.

ABSTRACT: Cell crawling on two-dimensional surfaces is a relatively well-understood phenomenon that is based on actin polymerization at a cell's front edge and anchoring on a substrate, allowing the cell to pull itself forward. However, some cells, such as cancer cells invading a three-dimensional matrigel, can also swim in the bulk, where surface adhesion is impossible. Although there is strong evidence that the self-organized engine that drives cells forward in the bulk involves myosin, the specific propulsion mechanism remains largely unclear. Here, we propose a minimal model for in-bulk self-motility of a droplet containing an isotropic and compressible contractile gel, representing a cell extract containing a disordered actomyosin network. In our model, contraction mediates a feedback loop betw

SUBMITTER: Le Goff T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7474182 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature