Modeling actin cable contraction

Modeling actin cable contraction

Contraction of actin structures (in one, two or three dimensions) plays an important role in many cellular and tissue movements, both at a multicellular tissue level and at a cellular (and even intracellular) one: from muscle contraction to neural tube closure, epiboly in zebrafish embryo, the contractile ring in citokynesis, cell crawling,... examples are everywhere in the living world. In [10...

Actin: A molecular wire, an electrical cable?

Deconstructing formin-dependent actin cable assembly.

Eukaryotic cells are organized in three dimensions to allow for both cell division and for them to perform their physiological functions. This organization is dependent upon the arrangement of the cytoskeleton, which can either generate force by subunit polymerization or serve as tracks for molecular motors to deliver protein complexes, RNAs, or membrane-bound compartments. In general, long-ran...

Actin cable dynamics in budding yeast.

Actin cables, bundles of actin filaments that align along the long axis of budding yeast, are crucial for establishment of cell polarity. We fused green fluorescent protein (GFP) to actin binding protein 140 (Abp140p) and visualized actin cable dynamics in living yeast. We detected two populations of actin cables: (i) bud-associated cables, which extend from the bud along the mother-bud axis, a...

Actin turnover maintains actin filament homeostasis during cytokinetic ring contraction

Cytokinesis in many eukaryotes involves a tension-generating actomyosin-based contractile ring. Many components of actomyosin rings turn over during contraction, although the significance of this turnover has remained enigmatic. Here, using Schizosaccharomyces japonicus, we investigate the role of turnover of actin and myosin II in its contraction. Actomyosin ring components self-organize into ...