1
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Saed B, Ramseier NT, Perera T, Anderson J, Burnett J, Gunasekara H, Burgess A, Jing H, Hu YS. Increased vesicular dynamics and nanoscale clustering of IL-2 after T cell activation. Biophys J 2024; 123:2343-2353. [PMID: 38532626 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2024.03.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
T cells coordinate intercellular communication through the meticulous regulation of cytokine secretion. Direct visualization of vesicular transport and intracellular distribution of cytokines provides valuable insights into the temporal and spatial mechanisms involved in regulation. Employing Jurkat E6-1 T cells and interleukin-2 (IL-2) as a model system, we investigated vesicular dynamics using single-particle tracking and the nanoscale distribution of intracellular IL-2 in fixed T cells using superresolution microscopy. Live-cell imaging revealed that in vitro activation resulted in increased vesicular dynamics. Direct stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy and 3D structured illumination microscopy revealed nanoscale clustering of IL-2. In vitro activation correlated with spatial accumulation of IL-2 nanoclusters into more pronounced and elongated clusters. These observations provide visual evidence that accelerated vesicular transport and spatial concatenation of IL-2 clusters at the nanoscale may constitute a potential mechanism for modulating cytokine release by Jurkat T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Badeia Saed
- Department of Chemistry, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Neal T Ramseier
- Department of Chemistry, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Thilini Perera
- Department of Chemistry, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Jesse Anderson
- Department of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | | | - Hirushi Gunasekara
- Department of Chemistry, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Alyssa Burgess
- Department of Chemistry, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Haoran Jing
- Department of Chemistry, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Ying S Hu
- Department of Chemistry, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.
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2
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Heyn JCJ, Rädler JO, Falcke M. Mesenchymal cell migration on one-dimensional micropatterns. Front Cell Dev Biol 2024; 12:1352279. [PMID: 38694822 PMCID: PMC11062138 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2024.1352279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Quantitative studies of mesenchymal cell motion are important to elucidate cytoskeleton function and mechanisms of cell migration. To this end, confinement of cell motion to one dimension (1D) significantly simplifies the problem of cell shape in experimental and theoretical investigations. Here we review 1D migration assays employing micro-fabricated lanes and reflect on the advantages of such platforms. Data are analyzed using biophysical models of cell migration that reproduce the rich scenario of morphodynamic behavior found in 1D. We describe basic model assumptions and model behavior. It appears that mechanical models explain the occurrence of universal relations conserved across different cell lines such as the adhesion-velocity relation and the universal correlation between speed and persistence (UCSP). We highlight the unique opportunity of reproducible and standardized 1D assays to validate theory based on statistical measures from large data of trajectories and discuss the potential of experimental settings embedding controlled perturbations to probe response in migratory behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes C. J. Heyn
- Fakultät für Physik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU), Munich, Germany
| | - Joachim O. Rädler
- Fakultät für Physik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU), Munich, Germany
| | - Martin Falcke
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Physics, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
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3
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Liu Y, Zhao T, Xu Z, Dai N, Zhao Q, Liang Y, Geng S, Lei M, Xu F, Wang L, Cheng B. Influence of Curvature on Cell Motility and Morphology during Cancer Migration in Confined Microchannels. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2024; 16:9956-9967. [PMID: 38349958 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.4c00196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/15/2024]
Abstract
Microchannels often serve as highways for cancer migration, and their topology largely determines the migration efficiency. Curvature, a topological parameter in biological systems, has recently been reported to be efficient in guiding cell polarization and migration. Curvature varies widely along curved microchannels, while its influence on cell migration remains elusive. Here, we recapitulated the curved microchannels, as observed in clinical tumor tissues with hydrogels, and studied how cancer cells respond to curvature. We found that cells bend more significantly in a larger curvature and exhibit less spreading as well as lower motility. The underlying mechanism is probably based on the hindrance of the movement of cytoskeletal molecules at the curved microchannel walls. Collectively, our results demonstrated that the accelerated actin retrograde flow rate under local curvature has an effective negative regulation on cell motility and morphology, leading to shortened and bent cell morphologies as well as hampered cell migration efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Liu
- The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Shaanxi 710049, PR China
- Bioinspired Engineering and Biomechanics Center (BEBC), Xi'an Jiaotong University, Shaanxi 710049, PR China
| | - Tianyu Zhao
- MOE Key Laboratory for Nonequilibrium Synthesis and Modulation of Condensed Matter, School of Physics, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Zhao Xu
- The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Shaanxi 710049, PR China
- Bioinspired Engineering and Biomechanics Center (BEBC), Xi'an Jiaotong University, Shaanxi 710049, PR China
| | - Ningman Dai
- The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Shaanxi 710049, PR China
- Bioinspired Engineering and Biomechanics Center (BEBC), Xi'an Jiaotong University, Shaanxi 710049, PR China
| | - Qiang Zhao
- Bioinspired Engineering and Biomechanics Center (BEBC), Xi'an Jiaotong University, Shaanxi 710049, PR China
- Department of Dermatology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Shaanxi 710049, PR China
| | - Yutong Liang
- College of Medicine, Xi'an International University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710077, PR China
| | - Songmei Geng
- Department of Dermatology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Shaanxi 710049, PR China
| | - Ming Lei
- MOE Key Laboratory for Nonequilibrium Synthesis and Modulation of Condensed Matter, School of Physics, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Feng Xu
- The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Shaanxi 710049, PR China
- Bioinspired Engineering and Biomechanics Center (BEBC), Xi'an Jiaotong University, Shaanxi 710049, PR China
| | - Lin Wang
- College of Medicine, Xi'an International University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710077, PR China
- Engineering Research Center of Personalized Anti-aging Health Product Development and Transformation Universities of Shaanxi Province, Xi'an 710077, China
| | - Bo Cheng
- The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Shaanxi 710049, PR China
- Bioinspired Engineering and Biomechanics Center (BEBC), Xi'an Jiaotong University, Shaanxi 710049, PR China
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4
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Schindler D, Moldenhawer T, Beta C, Huisinga W, Holschneider M. Three-component contour dynamics model to simulate and analyze amoeboid cell motility in two dimensions. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0297511. [PMID: 38277351 PMCID: PMC10817190 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0297511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/07/2024] [Indexed: 01/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Amoeboid cell motility is relevant in a wide variety of biomedical processes such as wound healing, cancer metastasis, and embryonic morphogenesis. It is characterized by pronounced changes of the cell shape associated with expansions and retractions of the cell membrane, which result in a crawling kind of locomotion. Despite existing computational models of amoeboid motion, the inference of expansion and retraction components of individual cells, the corresponding classification of cells, and the a priori specification of the parameter regime to achieve a specific motility behavior remain challenging open problems. We propose a novel model of the spatio-temporal evolution of two-dimensional cell contours comprising three biophysiologically motivated components: a stochastic term accounting for membrane protrusions and two deterministic terms accounting for membrane retractions by regularizing the shape and area of the contour. Mathematically, these correspond to the intensity of a self-exciting Poisson point process, the area-preserving curve-shortening flow, and an area adjustment flow. The model is used to generate contour data for a variety of qualitatively different, e.g., polarized and non-polarized, cell tracks that visually resemble experimental data very closely. In application to experimental cell tracks, we inferred the protrusion component and examined its correlation to common biomarkers: the F-actin density close to the membrane and its local motion. Due to the low model complexity, parameter estimation is fast, straightforward, and offers a simple way to classify contour dynamics based on two locomotion types: the amoeboid and a so-called fan-shaped type. For both types, we use cell tracks segmented from fluorescence imaging data of the model organism Dictyostelium discoideum. An implementation of the model is provided within the open-source software package AmoePy, a Python-based toolbox for analyzing and simulating amoeboid cell motility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Schindler
- Institute of Mathematics, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
- CRC 1294 Data Assimilation, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Ted Moldenhawer
- Institute of Physics and Astronomy, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
- CRC 1294 Data Assimilation, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Carsten Beta
- Institute of Physics and Astronomy, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
- CRC 1294 Data Assimilation, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Wilhelm Huisinga
- Institute of Mathematics, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
- CRC 1294 Data Assimilation, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Matthias Holschneider
- Institute of Mathematics, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
- CRC 1294 Data Assimilation, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
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5
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Mittal N, Michels EB, Massey AE, Qiu Y, Royer-Weeden SP, Smith BR, Cartagena-Rivera AX, Han SJ. Myosin-independent stiffness sensing by fibroblasts is regulated by the viscoelasticity of flowing actin. COMMUNICATIONS MATERIALS 2024; 5:6. [PMID: 38741699 PMCID: PMC11090405 DOI: 10.1038/s43246-024-00444-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
The stiffness of the extracellular matrix induces differential tension within integrin-based adhesions, triggering differential mechanoresponses. However, it has been unclear if the stiffness-dependent differential tension is induced solely by myosin activity. Here, we report that in the absence of myosin contractility, 3T3 fibroblasts still transmit stiffness-dependent differential levels of traction. This myosin-independent differential traction is regulated by polymerizing actin assisted by actin nucleators Arp2/3 and formin where formin has a stronger contribution than Arp2/3 to both traction and actin flow. Intriguingly, despite only slight changes in F-actin flow speed observed in cells with the combined inhibition of Arp2/3 and myosin compared to cells with sole myosin inhibition, they show a 4-times reduction in traction than cells with myosin-only inhibition. Our analyses indicate that traditional models based on rigid F-actin are inadequate for capturing such dramatic force reduction with similar actin flow. Instead, incorporating the F-actin network's viscoelastic properties is crucial. Our new model including the F-actin viscoelasticity reveals that Arp2/3 and formin enhance stiffness sensitivity by mechanically reinforcing the F-actin network, thereby facilitating more effective transmission of flow-induced forces. This model is validated by cell stiffness measurement with atomic force microscopy and experimental observation of model-predicted stiffness-dependent actin flow fluctuation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikhil Mittal
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, USA
- Health Research Institute, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, USA
| | - Etienne B. Michels
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, USA
| | - Andrew E. Massey
- Section on Mechanobiology, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Yunxiu Qiu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Michigan State University, Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Shaina P. Royer-Weeden
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, USA
| | - Bryan R. Smith
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Michigan State University, Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Alexander X. Cartagena-Rivera
- Section on Mechanobiology, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Sangyoon J. Han
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, USA
- Health Research Institute, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, USA
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, USA
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6
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Riedl M, Sixt M. The excitable nature of polymerizing actin and the Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1287420. [PMID: 38020899 PMCID: PMC10643615 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1287420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The intricate regulatory processes behind actin polymerization play a crucial role in cellular biology, including essential mechanisms such as cell migration or cell division. However, the self-organizing principles governing actin polymerization are still poorly understood. In this perspective article, we compare the Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction, a classic and well understood chemical oscillator known for its self-organizing spatiotemporal dynamics, with the excitable dynamics of polymerizing actin. While the BZ reaction originates from the domain of inorganic chemistry, it shares remarkable similarities with actin polymerization, including the characteristic propagating waves, which are influenced by geometry and external fields, and the emergent collective behavior. Starting with a general description of emerging patterns, we elaborate on single droplets or cell-level dynamics, the influence of geometric confinements and conclude with collective interactions. Comparing these two systems sheds light on the universal nature of self-organization principles in both living and inanimate systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Riedl
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), Klosterneuburg, Austria
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7
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Shrivastava A, Du Y, Adepu HK, Li R, Madhvacharyula AS, Swett AA, Choi JH. Motility of Synthetic Cells from Engineered Lipids. ACS Synth Biol 2023; 12:2789-2801. [PMID: 37729546 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.3c00271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/22/2023]
Abstract
Synthetic cells are artificial systems that resemble natural cells. Significant efforts have been made over the years to construct synthetic protocells that can mimic biological mechanisms and perform various complex processes. These include compartmentalization, metabolism, energy supply, communication, and gene reproduction. Cell motility is also of great importance, as nature uses elegant mechanisms for intracellular trafficking, immune response, and embryogenesis. In this review, we discuss the motility of synthetic cells made from lipid vesicles and relevant molecular mechanisms. Synthetic cell motion may be classified into surface-based or solution-based depending on whether it involves interactions with surfaces or movement in fluids. Collective migration behaviors have also been demonstrated. The swarm motion requires additional mechanisms for intercellular signaling and directional motility that enable communication and coordination among the synthetic vesicles. In addition, intracellular trafficking for molecular transport has been reconstituted in minimal cells with the help of DNA nanotechnology. These efforts demonstrate synthetic cells that can move, detect, respond, and interact. We envision that new developments in protocell motility will enhance our understanding of biological processes and be instrumental in bioengineering and therapeutic applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aishwary Shrivastava
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, 585 Purdue Mall, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - Yancheng Du
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, 585 Purdue Mall, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - Harshith K Adepu
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, 585 Purdue Mall, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - Ruixin Li
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, 585 Purdue Mall, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - Anirudh S Madhvacharyula
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, 585 Purdue Mall, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - Alexander A Swett
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering, 701 W. Stadium Avenue, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - Jong Hyun Choi
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, 585 Purdue Mall, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
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8
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Colin A, Orhant-Prioux M, Guérin C, Savinov M, Cao W, Vianay B, Scarfone I, Roux A, De La Cruz EM, Mogilner A, Théry M, Blanchoin L. Friction patterns guide actin network contraction. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2300416120. [PMID: 37725653 PMCID: PMC10523593 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2300416120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The shape of cells is the outcome of the balance of inner forces produced by the actomyosin network and the resistive forces produced by cell adhesion to their environment. The specific contributions of contractile, anchoring and friction forces to network deformation rate and orientation are difficult to disentangle in living cells where they influence each other. Here, we reconstituted contractile actomyosin networks in vitro to study specifically the role of the friction forces between the network and its anchoring substrate. To modulate the magnitude and spatial distribution of friction forces, we used glass or lipids surface micropatterning to control the initial shape of the network. We adapted the concentration of Nucleating Promoting Factor on each surface to induce the assembly of actin networks of similar densities and compare the deformation of the network toward the centroid of the pattern shape upon myosin-induced contraction. We found that actin network deformation was faster and more coordinated on lipid bilayers than on glass, showing the resistance of friction to network contraction. To further study the role of the spatial distribution of these friction forces, we designed heterogeneous micropatterns made of glass and lipids. The deformation upon contraction was no longer symmetric but biased toward the region of higher friction. Furthermore, we showed that the pattern of friction could robustly drive network contraction and dominate the contribution of asymmetric distributions of myosins. Therefore, we demonstrate that during contraction, both the active and resistive forces are essential to direct the actin network deformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Colin
- Université Grenoble-Alpes, CEA, CNRS, UMR5168, Interdisciplinary Research Institute of Grenoble, CytoMorpho Lab, Grenoble38054, France
| | - Magali Orhant-Prioux
- Université Grenoble-Alpes, CEA, CNRS, UMR5168, Interdisciplinary Research Institute of Grenoble, CytoMorpho Lab, Grenoble38054, France
| | - Christophe Guérin
- Université Grenoble-Alpes, CEA, CNRS, UMR5168, Interdisciplinary Research Institute of Grenoble, CytoMorpho Lab, Grenoble38054, France
| | - Mariya Savinov
- Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University, New York, NY10012
| | - Wenxiang Cao
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT06520-8114
| | - Benoit Vianay
- University of Paris, INSERM, Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives, UMRS1160, Institut de Recherche Saint Louis, CytoMorpho Lab, Hôpital Saint Louis, Paris75010, France
| | - Ilaria Scarfone
- Université Grenoble-Alpes, CEA, CNRS, UMR5168, Interdisciplinary Research Institute of Grenoble, CytoMorpho Lab, Grenoble38054, France
| | - Aurélien Roux
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Geneva, CH-1211Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Enrique M. De La Cruz
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT06520-8114
| | - Alex Mogilner
- Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University, New York, NY10012
| | - Manuel Théry
- Université Grenoble-Alpes, CEA, CNRS, UMR5168, Interdisciplinary Research Institute of Grenoble, CytoMorpho Lab, Grenoble38054, France
- University of Paris, INSERM, Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives, UMRS1160, Institut de Recherche Saint Louis, CytoMorpho Lab, Hôpital Saint Louis, Paris75010, France
| | - Laurent Blanchoin
- Université Grenoble-Alpes, CEA, CNRS, UMR5168, Interdisciplinary Research Institute of Grenoble, CytoMorpho Lab, Grenoble38054, France
- University of Paris, INSERM, Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives, UMRS1160, Institut de Recherche Saint Louis, CytoMorpho Lab, Hôpital Saint Louis, Paris75010, France
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9
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Appalabhotla R, Butler MT, Bear JE, Haugh JM. G-actin diffusion is insufficient to achieve F-actin assembly in fast-treadmilling protrusions. Biophys J 2023; 122:3816-3829. [PMID: 37644720 PMCID: PMC10541494 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2023.08.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2023] [Revised: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023] Open
Abstract
To generate forces that drive migration of a eukaryotic cell, arrays of actin filaments (F-actin) are assembled at the cell's leading membrane edge. To maintain cell propulsion and respond to dynamic external cues, actin filaments must be disassembled to regenerate the actin monomers (G-actin), and transport of G-actin from sites of disassembly back to the leading edge completes the treadmilling cycle and limits the flux of F-actin assembly. Whether or not molecular diffusion is sufficient for G-actin transport has been a long-standing topic of debate, in part because the dynamic nature of cell motility and migration hinders the estimation of transport parameters. In this work, we applied an experimental system in which cells adopt an approximately constant and symmetrical shape; they cannot migrate but exhibit fast, steady treadmilling in the thin region protruding from the cell. Using fluorescence recovery after photobleaching, we quantified the relative concentrations and corresponding fluxes of F- and G-actin in this system. In conjunction with mathematical modeling, constrained by measured features of each region of interest, this approach revealed that diffusion alone cannot account for the transport of G-actin to the leading edge. Although G-actin diffusion and vectorial transport might vary with position in the protruding region, good agreement with the fluorescence recovery after photobleaching measurements was achieved by a model with constant G-actin diffusivity ∼2 μm2/s and anterograde G-actin velocity less than 1 μm/s.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ravikanth Appalabhotla
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina
| | - Mitchell T Butler
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - James E Bear
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
| | - Jason M Haugh
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina.
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10
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Mogilner A, Savinov M. Crawling, waving, inch worming, dilating, and pivoting mechanics of migrating cells: Lessons from Ken Jacobson. Biophys J 2023; 122:3551-3559. [PMID: 36934300 PMCID: PMC10541468 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2023.03.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Research on the locomotion of single cells on hard, flat surfaces brought insight into the mechanisms of leading-edge protrusion, spatially graded adhesion, front-rear coordination, and how intracellular and traction forces are harnessed to execute various maneuvers. Here, we highlight how, by studying a variety of cell types, shapes, and movements, Ken Jacobson and his collaborators made several discoveries that triggered the mechanistic understanding of cell motility. We then review the recent advancements and current perspectives in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Mogilner
- Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University, New York, New York; Department of Biology, New York University, New York, New York.
| | - Mariya Savinov
- Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University, New York, New York
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11
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Belliveau NM, Footer MJ, Akdoǧan E, van Loon AP, Collins SR, Theriot JA. Whole-genome screens reveal regulators of differentiation state and context-dependent migration in human neutrophils. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5770. [PMID: 37723145 PMCID: PMC10507112 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41452-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Neutrophils are the most abundant leukocyte in humans and provide a critical early line of defense as part of our innate immune system. We perform a comprehensive, genome-wide assessment of the molecular factors critical to proliferation, differentiation, and cell migration in a neutrophil-like cell line. Through the development of multiple migration screen strategies, we specifically probe directed (chemotaxis), undirected (chemokinesis), and 3D amoeboid cell migration in these fast-moving cells. We identify a role for mTORC1 signaling in cell differentiation, which influences neutrophil abundance, survival, and migratory behavior. Across our individual migration screens, we identify genes involved in adhesion-dependent and adhesion-independent cell migration, protein trafficking, and regulation of the actomyosin cytoskeleton. This genome-wide screening strategy, therefore, provides an invaluable approach to the study of neutrophils and provides a resource that will inform future studies of cell migration in these and other rapidly migrating cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan M Belliveau
- Department of Biology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Matthew J Footer
- Department of Biology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Emel Akdoǧan
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Aaron P van Loon
- Department of Biology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Sean R Collins
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Julie A Theriot
- Department of Biology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA.
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12
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Riedl M, Mayer I, Merrin J, Sixt M, Hof B. Synchronization in collectively moving inanimate and living active matter. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5633. [PMID: 37704595 PMCID: PMC10499792 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41432-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Whether one considers swarming insects, flocking birds, or bacterial colonies, collective motion arises from the coordination of individuals and entails the adjustment of their respective velocities. In particular, in close confinements, such as those encountered by dense cell populations during development or regeneration, collective migration can only arise coordinately. Yet, how individuals unify their velocities is often not understood. Focusing on a finite number of cells in circular confinements, we identify waves of polymerizing actin that function as a pacemaker governing the speed of individual cells. We show that the onset of collective motion coincides with the synchronization of the wave nucleation frequencies across the population. Employing a simpler and more readily accessible mechanical model system of active spheres, we identify the synchronization of the individuals' internal oscillators as one of the essential requirements to reach the corresponding collective state. The mechanical 'toy' experiment illustrates that the global synchronous state is achieved by nearest neighbor coupling. We suggest by analogy that local coupling and the synchronization of actin waves are essential for the emergent, self-organized motion of cell collectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Riedl
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria), Klosterneuburg, Austria.
| | - Isabelle Mayer
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria), Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Jack Merrin
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria), Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Michael Sixt
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria), Klosterneuburg, Austria.
| | - Björn Hof
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria), Klosterneuburg, Austria.
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13
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Leineweber WD, Fraley SI. Adhesion tunes speed and persistence by coordinating protrusions and extracellular matrix remodeling. Dev Cell 2023; 58:1414-1428.e4. [PMID: 37321214 PMCID: PMC10527808 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2023.05.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Revised: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Cell migration through 3D environments is essential to development, disease, and regeneration processes. Conceptual models of migration have been developed primarily on the basis of 2D cell behaviors, but a general understanding of 3D cell migration is still lacking due to the added complexity of the extracellular matrix. Here, using a multiplexed biophysical imaging approach for single-cell analysis of human cell lines, we show how the subprocesses of adhesion, contractility, actin cytoskeletal dynamics, and matrix remodeling integrate to produce heterogeneous migration behaviors. This single-cell analysis identifies three modes of cell speed and persistence coupling, driven by distinct modes of coordination between matrix remodeling and protrusive activity. The framework that emerges establishes a predictive model linking cell trajectories to distinct subprocess coordination states.
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Affiliation(s)
- William D Leineweber
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Stephanie I Fraley
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
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14
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Beta C, Edelstein-Keshet L, Gov N, Yochelis A. From actin waves to mechanism and back: How theory aids biological understanding. eLife 2023; 12:e87181. [PMID: 37428017 DOI: 10.7554/elife.87181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Actin dynamics in cell motility, division, and phagocytosis is regulated by complex factors with multiple feedback loops, often leading to emergent dynamic patterns in the form of propagating waves of actin polymerization activity that are poorly understood. Many in the actin wave community have attempted to discern the underlying mechanisms using experiments and/or mathematical models and theory. Here, we survey methods and hypotheses for actin waves based on signaling networks, mechano-chemical effects, and transport characteristics, with examples drawn from Dictyostelium discoideum, human neutrophils, Caenorhabditis elegans, and Xenopus laevis oocytes. While experimentalists focus on the details of molecular components, theorists pose a central question of universality: Are there generic, model-independent, underlying principles, or just boundless cell-specific details? We argue that mathematical methods are equally important for understanding the emergence, evolution, and persistence of actin waves and conclude with a few challenges for future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carsten Beta
- Institute of Physics and Astronomy, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | | | - Nir Gov
- Department of Chemical and Biological Physics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Arik Yochelis
- Swiss Institute for Dryland Environmental and Energy Research, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
- Department of Physics, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be'er Sheva, Israel
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15
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Kołodziej T, Mielnicka A, Dziob D, Chojnacka AK, Rawski M, Mazurkiewicz J, Rajfur Z. Morphomigrational description as a new approach connecting cell's migration with its morphology. Sci Rep 2023; 13:11006. [PMID: 37419901 PMCID: PMC10328925 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-35827-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 07/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The examination of morphology and migration of cells plays substantial role in understanding the cellular behaviour, being described by plethora of quantitative parameters and models. These descriptions, however, treat cell migration and morphology as independent properties of temporal cell state, while not taking into account their strong interdependence in adherent cells. Here we present the new and simple mathematical parameter called signed morphomigrational angle (sMM angle) that links cell geometry with translocation of cell centroid, considering them as one morphomigrational behaviour. The sMM angle combined with pre-existing quantitative parameters enabled us to build a new tool called morphomigrational description, used to assign the numerical values to several cellular behaviours. Thus, the cellular activities that until now were characterized using verbal description or by complex mathematical models, are described here by a set of numbers. Our tool can be further used in automatic analysis of cell populations as well as in studies focused on cellular response to environmental directional signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomasz Kołodziej
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biophysics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jagiellonian University Medical College, ul. Medyczna 9, 30-688, Kraków, Poland.
- Department of Molecular and Interfacial Biophysics, Faculty of Physics, Astronomy and Applied Computer Science, Jagiellonian University, ul. Lojasiewicza 11, 30-348, Kraków, Poland.
| | - Aleksandra Mielnicka
- Department of Molecular and Interfacial Biophysics, Faculty of Physics, Astronomy and Applied Computer Science, Jagiellonian University, ul. Lojasiewicza 11, 30-348, Kraków, Poland
- BRAINCITY, Laboratory of Neurobiology, The Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, PAS, ul. Ludwika Pasteura 3, 02-093, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Daniel Dziob
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biophysics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jagiellonian University Medical College, ul. Medyczna 9, 30-688, Kraków, Poland
| | - Anna Katarzyna Chojnacka
- Department of Molecular and Interfacial Biophysics, Faculty of Physics, Astronomy and Applied Computer Science, Jagiellonian University, ul. Lojasiewicza 11, 30-348, Kraków, Poland
- Cellular Signalling and Cytoskeletal Function Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, NW1 1AT, London, United Kingdom
| | - Mateusz Rawski
- Laboratory of Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture, Department of Zoology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Poznań University of Life Sciences, ul. Wojska Polskiego 71C, 60-625, Poznań, Poland
| | - Jan Mazurkiewicz
- Laboratory of Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture, Department of Zoology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Poznań University of Life Sciences, ul. Wojska Polskiego 71C, 60-625, Poznań, Poland
| | - Zenon Rajfur
- Department of Molecular and Interfacial Biophysics, Faculty of Physics, Astronomy and Applied Computer Science, Jagiellonian University, ul. Lojasiewicza 11, 30-348, Kraków, Poland.
- Jagiellonian Center of Biomedical Imaging, Jagiellonian University, 30-348, Kraków, Poland.
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16
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Karkhaneh Yousefi AA, Petit C, Ben Hassine A, Avril S. Stiffness sensing by smooth muscle cells: Continuum mechanics modeling of the acto-myosin role. J Mech Behav Biomed Mater 2023; 144:105990. [PMID: 37385127 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2023.105990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2023] [Revised: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023]
Abstract
Aortic smooth muscle cells (SMCs) play a vital role in maintaining homeostasis in the aorta by sensing and responding to mechanical stimuli. However, the mechanisms that underlie the ability of SMCs to sense and respond to stiffness change in their environment are still partially unclear. In this study, we focus on the role of acto-myosin contractility in stiffness sensing and introduce a novel continuum mechanics approach based on the principles of thermal strains. Each stress fiber satisfies a universal stress-strain relationship driven by a Young's modulus, a contraction coefficient scaling the fictitious thermal strain, a maximum contraction stress and a softening parameter describing the sliding effects between actin and myosin filaments. To account for the inherent variability of cellular responses, large populations of SMCs are modeled with the finite-element method, each cell having a random number and a random arrangement of stress fibers. Moreover, the level of myosin activation in each stress fiber satisfies a Weibull probability density function. Model predictions are compared to traction force measurements on different SMC lineages. It is demonstrated that the model not only predicts well the effects of substrate stiffness on cellular traction, but it can also successfully approximate the statistical variations of cellular tractions induced by intercellular variability. Finally, stresses in the nuclear envelope and in the nucleus are computed with the model, showing that the variations of cytoskeletal forces induced by substrate stiffness directly induce deformations of the nucleus which can potentially alter gene expression. The predictability of the model combined to its relative simplicity are promising assets for further investigation of stiffness sensing in 3D environments. Eventually, this could contribute to decipher the effects of mechanosensitivity impairment, which are known to be at the root of aortic aneurysms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Claudie Petit
- Mines Saint-Etienne, Université Jean Monnet, INSERM, U1059 SAINBIOSE, 42023, Saint-Etienne, France
| | - Amira Ben Hassine
- Mines Saint-Etienne, Université Jean Monnet, INSERM, U1059 SAINBIOSE, 42023, Saint-Etienne, France
| | - Stéphane Avril
- Mines Saint-Etienne, Université Jean Monnet, INSERM, U1059 SAINBIOSE, 42023, Saint-Etienne, France.
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17
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Sáez P, Venturini C. Positive, negative and controlled durotaxis. SOFT MATTER 2023; 19:2993-3001. [PMID: 37016959 DOI: 10.1039/d2sm01326f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Cell migration is a physical process central to life. Among others, it regulates embryogenesis, tissue regeneration, and tumor growth. Therefore, understanding and controlling cell migration represent fundamental challenges in science. Specifically, the ability of cells to follow stiffness gradients, known as durotaxis, is ubiquitous across most cell types. Even so, certain cells follow positive stiffness gradients while others move along negative gradients. How the physical mechanisms involved in cell migration work to enable a wide range of durotactic responses is still poorly understood. Here, we provide a mechanistic rationale for durotaxis by integrating stochastic clutch models for cell adhesion with an active gel theory of cell migration. We show that positive and negative durotaxis found across cell types are explained by asymmetries in the cell adhesion dynamics. We rationalize durotaxis by asymmetric mechanotransduction in the cell adhesion behavior that further polarizes the intracellular retrograde flow and the protruding velocity at the cell membrane. Our theoretical framework confirms previous experimental observations and explains positive and negative durotaxis. Moreover, we show how durotaxis can be engineered to manipulate cell migration, which has important implications in biology, medicine, and bioengineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Sáez
- Laboratori de Càlcul Numèric (LaCaN), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain.
- E.T.S. de Ingeniería de Caminos, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut de Matemàtiques de la UPC-BarcelonaTech (IMTech), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain
| | - C Venturini
- Laboratori de Càlcul Numèric (LaCaN), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain.
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18
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Amiri B, Heyn JCJ, Schreiber C, Rädler JO, Falcke M. On multistability and constitutive relations of cell motion on fibronectin lanes. Biophys J 2023; 122:753-766. [PMID: 36739476 PMCID: PMC10027452 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2023.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2022] [Revised: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Cell motility on flat substrates exhibits coexisting steady and oscillatory morphodynamics, the biphasic adhesion-velocity relation, and the universal correlation between speed and persistence (UCSP) as simultaneous observations common to many cell types. Their universality and concurrency suggest a unifying mechanism causing all three of them. Stick-slip models for cells on one-dimensional lanes suggest multistability to arise from the nonlinear friction of retrograde flow. This study suggests a mechanical mechanism controlled by integrin signaling on the basis of a biophysical model and analysis of trajectories of MDA-MB-231 cells on fibronectin lanes, which additionally explains the constitutive relations. The experiments exhibit cells with steady or oscillatory morphodynamics and either spread or moving with spontaneous transitions between the dynamic regimes, spread and moving, and spontaneous direction reversals. Our biophysical model is based on the force balance at the protrusion edge, the noisy clutch of retrograde flow, and a response function of friction and membrane drag to integrin signaling. The theory reproduces the experimentally observed cell states, characteristics of oscillations, and state probabilities. Analysis of experiments with the biophysical model establishes a stick-slip oscillation mechanism, and explains multistability of cell states and the statistics of state transitions. It suggests protrusion competition to cause direction reversal events, the statistics of which explain the UCSP. The effect of integrin signaling on drag and friction explains the adhesion-velocity relation and cell behavior at fibronectin density steps. The dynamics of our mechanism are nonlinear flow mechanics driven by F-actin polymerization and shaped by the noisy clutch of retrograde flow friction, protrusion competition via membrane tension, and drag forces. Integrin signaling controls the parameters of the mechanical system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Behnam Amiri
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany
| | - Johannes C J Heyn
- Fakultät für Physik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU), Munich, Germany
| | - Christoph Schreiber
- Fakultät für Physik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU), Munich, Germany
| | - Joachim O Rädler
- Fakultät für Physik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU), Munich, Germany.
| | - Martin Falcke
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany; Department of Physics, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany.
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19
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Nwogbaga I, Camley BA. Coupling cell shape and velocity leads to oscillation and circling in keratocyte galvanotaxis. Biophys J 2023; 122:130-142. [PMID: 36397670 PMCID: PMC9822803 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2022.11.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2022] [Revised: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
During wound healing, fish keratocyte cells undergo galvanotaxis where they follow a wound-induced electric field. In addition to their stereotypical persistent motion, keratocytes can develop circular motion without a field or oscillate while crawling in the field direction. We developed a coarse-grained phenomenological model that captures these keratocyte behaviors. We fit this model to experimental data on keratocyte response to an electric field being turned on. A critical element of our model is a tendency for cells to turn toward their long axis, arising from a coupling between cell shape and velocity, which gives rise to oscillatory and circular motion. Galvanotaxis is influenced not only by the field-dependent responses, but also cell speed and cell shape relaxation rate. When the cell reacts to an electric field being turned on, our model predicts that stiff, slow cells react slowly but follow the signal reliably. Cells that polarize and align to the field at a faster rate react more quickly and follow the signal more reliably. When cells are exposed to a field that switches direction rapidly, cells follow the average of field directions, while if the field is switched more slowly, cells follow a "staircase" pattern. Our study indicated that a simple phenomenological model coupling cell speed and shape is sufficient to reproduce a broad variety of different keratocyte behaviors, ranging from circling to oscillation to galvanotactic response, by only varying a few parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ifunanya Nwogbaga
- Department of Biophysics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Brian A Camley
- Department of Biophysics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; William H. Miller III Department of Physics & Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.
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20
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Labuz EC, Footer MJ, Theriot JA. Confined keratocytes mimic in vivo migration and reveal volume-speed relationship. Cytoskeleton (Hoboken) 2023; 80:34-51. [PMID: 36576104 DOI: 10.1002/cm.21741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2022] [Revised: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Fish basal epidermal cells, known as keratocytes, are well-suited for cell migration studies. In vitro, isolated keratocytes adopt a stereotyped shape with a large fan-shaped lamellipodium and a nearly spherical cell body. However, in their native in vivo environment, these cells adopt a significantly different shape during their rapid migration toward wounds. Within the epidermis, keratocytes experience two-dimensional (2D) confinement between the outer epidermal cell layer and the basement membrane; these two deformable surfaces constrain keratocyte cell bodies to be flatter in vivo than in isolation. In vivo keratocytes also exhibit a relative elongation of the front-to-back axis and substantially more lamellipodial ruffling, as compared to isolated cells. We have explored the effects of 2D confinement, separated from other in vivo environmental cues, by overlaying isolated cells with an agarose hydrogel with occasional spacers, or with a ceiling made of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomer. Under these conditions, isolated keratocytes more closely resemble the in vivo migratory shape phenotype, displaying a flatter apical-basal axis and a longer front-to-back axis than unconfined keratocytes. We propose that 2D confinement contributes to multiple dimensions of in vivo keratocyte shape determination. Further analysis demonstrates that confinement causes a synchronous 20% decrease in both cell speed and volume. Interestingly, we were able to replicate the 20% decrease in speed using a sorbitol hypertonic shock to shrink the cell volume, which did not affect other aspects of cell shape. Collectively, our results suggest that environmentally imposed changes in cell volume may influence cell migration speed, potentially by perturbing physical properties of the cytoplasm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen C Labuz
- Biophysics Program, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA.,Department of Biology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Matthew J Footer
- Department of Biology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Julie A Theriot
- Department of Biology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
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21
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Stolarska MA, Rammohan AR. On the significance of membrane unfolding in mechanosensitive cell spreading: Its individual and synergistic effects. MATHEMATICAL BIOSCIENCES AND ENGINEERING : MBE 2023; 20:2408-2438. [PMID: 36899540 DOI: 10.3934/mbe.2023113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Mechanosensitivity of cell spread area to substrate stiffness has been established both through experiments and different types of mathematical models of varying complexity including both the mechanics and biochemical reactions in the cell. What has not been addressed in previous mathematical models is the role of cell membrane dynamics on cell spreading, and an investigation of this issue is the goal of this work. We start with a simple mechanical model of cell spreading on a deformable substrate and progressively layer mechanisms to account for the traction dependent growth of focal adhesions, focal adhesion induced actin polymerization, membrane unfolding/exocytosis and contractility. This layering approach is intended to progressively help in understanding the role each mechanism plays in reproducing experimentally observed cell spread areas. To model membrane unfolding we introduce a novel approach based on defining an active rate of membrane deformation that is dependent on membrane tension. Our modeling approach allows us to show that tension-dependent membrane unfolding plays a critical role in achieving the large cell spread areas experimentally observed on stiff substrates. We also demonstrate that coupling between membrane unfolding and focal adhesion induced polymerization works synergistically to further enhance cell spread area sensitivity to substrate stiffness. This enhancement has to do with the fact that the peripheral velocity of spreading cells is associated with contributions from the different mechanisms by either enhancing the polymerization velocity at the leading edge or slowing down of the retrograde flow of actin within the cell. The temporal evolution of this balance in the model corresponds to the three-phase behavior observed experimentally during spreading. In the initial phase membrane unfolding is found to be particularly important.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena A Stolarska
- Department of Mathematics, 2115 Summit Ave., University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN 55105, USA
| | - Aravind R Rammohan
- Corning Life Sciences, Corning Inc., 836 North St, Tewksbury, MA 01876, USA
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22
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Ioratim-Uba A, Loisy A, Henkes S, Liverpool TB. The nonlinear motion of cells subject to external forces. SOFT MATTER 2022; 18:9008-9016. [PMID: 36399136 PMCID: PMC10141577 DOI: 10.1039/d2sm00934j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
To develop a minimal model for a cell moving in a crowded environment such as in tissue, we investigate the response of a liquid drop of active matter moving on a flat rigid substrate to forces applied at its boundaries. We consider two different self-propulsion mechanisms, active stresses and treadmilling polymerisation, and we investigate how the active drop motion is altered by these surface forces. We find a highly non-linear response to forces that we characterise using drop velocity, drop shape, and the traction between the drop and the substrate. Each self-propulsion mechanism gives rise to two main modes of motion: a long thin drop with zero traction in the bulk, mostly occurring under strong stretching forces, and a parabolic drop with finite traction in the bulk, mostly occurring under strong squeezing forces. In each case there is a sharp transition between parabolic, and long thin drops as a function of the applied forces and indications of drop break-up where large forces stretch the drop.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Aurore Loisy
- School of Mathematics, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1UG, UK.
| | - Silke Henkes
- School of Mathematics, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1UG, UK.
- Lorentz Institute for Theoretical Physics, Leiden University, Leiden 2333 CA, The Netherlands
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23
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Saito T, Matsunaga D, Deguchi S. Long-term molecular turnover of actin stress fibers revealed by advection-reaction analysis in fluorescence recovery after photobleaching. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0276909. [PMCID: PMC9639824 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0276909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) is a versatile technique to evaluate the intracellular molecular exchange called turnover. Mechanochemical models of FRAP typically consider the molecular diffusion and chemical reaction that simultaneously occur on a time scale of seconds to minutes. Particularly for long-term measurements, however, a mechanical advection effect can no longer be ignored, which transports the proteins in specific directions within the cells and accordingly shifts the spatial distribution of the local chemical equilibrium. Nevertheless, existing FRAP models have not considered the spatial shift, and as such, the turnover rate is often analyzed without considering the spatiotemporally updated chemical equilibrium. Here we develop a new FRAP model aimed at long-term measurements to quantitatively determine the two distinct effects of the advection and chemical reaction, i.e., the different major sources of the change in fluorescence intensity. To validate this approach, we carried out FRAP experiments on actin in stress fibers over a time period of more than 900 s, and the advection rate was shown to be comparable in magnitude to the chemical dissociation rate. We further found that the actin–myosin interaction and actin polymerization differently affect the advection and chemical dissociation. Our results suggest that the distinction between the two effects is indispensable to extract the intrinsic chemical properties of the actin cytoskeleton from the observations of complicated turnover in cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takumi Saito
- Division of Bioengineering, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
- Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, Tohoku University, Tohoku, Japan
- JSPS Research Fellowship for Young Scientists, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Daiki Matsunaga
- Division of Bioengineering, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Shinji Deguchi
- Division of Bioengineering, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
- * E-mail:
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24
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Abstract
Control of self-propelled particles is central to the development of many microrobotic technologies, from dynamically reconfigurable materials to advanced lab-on-a-chip systems. However, there are few physical principles by which particle trajectories can be specified and can be used to generate a wide range of behaviors. Within the field of ray optics, a single principle for controlling the trajectory of light─Snell's law─yields an intuitive framework for engineering a broad range of devices, from microscopes to cameras and telescopes. Here we show that the motion of self-propelled particles gliding across a resistance discontinuity is governed by a variant of Snell's law, and develop a corresponding ray optics for gliders. Just as the ratio of refractive indexes sets the path of a light ray, the ratio of resistance coefficients is shown to determine the trajectories of gliders. The magnitude of refraction depends on the glider's shape, in particular its aspect ratio, which serves as an analogue to the wavelength of light. This enables the demixing of a polymorphic, many-shaped, beam of gliders into distinct monomorphic, single-shaped, beams through a friction prism. In turn, beams of monomorphic gliders can be focused by spherical and gradient friction lenses. Alternatively, the critical angle for total internal reflection can be used to create shape-selective glider traps. Overall our work suggests that furthering the analogy between light and microscopic gliders may be used for sorting, concentrating, and analyzing self-propelled particles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyler D Ross
- Department of Computing and Mathematical Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California91125, United States
| | - Dino Osmanović
- Center for the Physics of Living Systems, Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts02139, United States
| | - John F Brady
- Divisions of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering and Engineering & Applied Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California91125, United States
| | - Paul W K Rothemund
- Department of Computing and Mathematical Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California91125, United States
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25
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Francis EA, Heinrich V. Integrative experimental/computational approach establishes active cellular protrusion as the primary driving force of phagocytic spreading by immune cells. PLoS Comput Biol 2022; 18:e1009937. [PMID: 36026476 PMCID: PMC9455874 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Revised: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The dynamic interplay between cell adhesion and protrusion is a critical determinant of many forms of cell motility. When modeling cell spreading on adhesive surfaces, traditional mathematical treatments often consider passive cell adhesion as the primary, if not exclusive, mechanistic driving force of this cellular motion. To better assess the contribution of active cytoskeletal protrusion to immune-cell spreading during phagocytosis, we here develop a computational framework that allows us to optionally investigate both purely adhesive spreading (“Brownian zipper hypothesis”) as well as protrusion-dominated spreading (“protrusive zipper hypothesis”). We model the cell as an axisymmetric body of highly viscous fluid surrounded by a cortex with uniform surface tension and incorporate as potential driving forces of cell spreading an attractive stress due to receptor-ligand binding and an outward normal stress representing cytoskeletal protrusion, both acting on the cell boundary. We leverage various model predictions against the results of a directly related experimental companion study of human neutrophil phagocytic spreading on substrates coated with different densities of antibodies. We find that the concept of adhesion-driven spreading is incompatible with experimental results such as the independence of the cell-spreading speed on the density of immobilized antibodies. In contrast, the protrusive zipper model agrees well with experimental findings and, when adapted to simulate cell spreading on discrete adhesion sites, it also reproduces the observed positive correlation between antibody density and maximum cell-substrate contact area. Together, our integrative experimental/computational approach shows that phagocytic spreading is driven by cellular protrusion, and that the extent of spreading is limited by the density of adhesion sites. To accomplish many routine biological tasks, cells must rapidly spread over different types of surfaces. Here, we examine the biophysical underpinnings of immune cell spreading during phagocytosis, the process by which white blood cells such as neutrophils engulf pathogens or other foreign objects. Our computational framework models the case in which a human neutrophil spreads over a flat surface coated with antibodies, which we also test experimentally in a companion paper. Our primary purpose is to assess whether phagocytic spreading is actively driven by protrusive forces exerted by the cell, or passively by adhesive forces acting between receptors in the cell membrane and antibodies on the surface. By directly comparing our model predictions to experimental results, we demonstrate that phagocytic spreading is primarily driven by protrusion, but the extent of spreading is still limited by the availability of binding sites. Our findings improve the fundamental understanding of phagocytosis and may also pave the way for future investigations of the balance between adhesion and protrusion in other forms of cell spreading, such as wound healing or cancer cell migration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmet A. Francis
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America
- * E-mail: (EAF); (VH)
| | - Volkmar Heinrich
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America
- * E-mail: (EAF); (VH)
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26
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Godeau AL, Leoni M, Comelles J, Guyomar T, Lieb M, Delanoë-Ayari H, Ott A, Harlepp S, Sens P, Riveline D. 3D single cell migration driven by temporal correlation between oscillating force dipoles. eLife 2022; 11:71032. [PMID: 35899947 PMCID: PMC9395190 DOI: 10.7554/elife.71032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Directional cell locomotion requires symmetry breaking between the front and rear of the cell. In some cells, symmetry breaking manifests itself in a directional flow of actin from the front to the rear of the cell. Many cells, especially in physiological 3D matrices do not show such coherent actin dynamics and present seemingly competing protrusion/retraction dynamics at their front and back. How symmetry breaking manifests itself for such cells is therefore elusive. We take inspiration from the scallop theorem proposed by Purcell for micro-swimmers in Newtonian fluids: self-propelled objects undergoing persistent motion at low Reynolds number must follow a cycle of shape changes that breaks temporal symmetry. We report similar observations for cells crawling in 3D. We quantified cell motion using a combination of 3D live cell imaging, visualization of the matrix displacement and a minimal model with multipolar expansion. We show that our cells embedded in a 3D matrix form myosin-driven force dipoles at both sides of the nucleus, that locally and periodically pinch the matrix. The existence of a phase shift between the two dipoles is required for directed cell motion which manifests itself as cycles with finite area in the dipole-quadrupole diagram, a formal equivalence to the Purcell cycle. We confirm this mechanism by triggering local dipolar contractions with a laser. This leads to directed motion. Our study reveals that these cells control their motility by synchronizing dipolar forces distributed at front and back. This result opens new strategies to externally control cell motion as well as for the design of micro-crawlers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amélie Luise Godeau
- Laboratory of Cell Physics, University of Strasbourg, CNRS, IGBMC, Illkirch, France
| | | | - Jordi Comelles
- Laboratory of Cell Physics, University of Strasbourg, CNRS, IGBMC, Illkirch, France
| | - Tristan Guyomar
- Laboratory of Cell Physics, University of Strasbourg, CNRS, IGBMC, Illkirch, France
| | - Michele Lieb
- Laboratory of Cell Physics, University of Strasbourg, CNRS, IGBMC, Illkirch, France
| | - Hélène Delanoë-Ayari
- Univ. Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS UMR 5306, LyonVilleurbanne Cedex, France
| | - Albrecht Ott
- Universität des Saarlandes, Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Sebastien Harlepp
- INSERM UMR S1109, Institut d'Hématologie et d'Immunologie, Strasbourg, France
| | - Pierre Sens
- Laboratoire Physico Chimie Curie, Institut Curie, CNRS UMR168, Paris, France
| | - Daniel Riveline
- Development and stem cells, University of Strasbourg, CNRS, IGBMC, Illkirch, France
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27
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Chelly H, Recho P. Cell motility as an energy minimization process. Phys Rev E 2022; 105:064401. [PMID: 35854577 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.105.064401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The dynamics of active matter driven by interacting molecular motors has a nonpotential structure at the local scale. However, we show that there exists a quasipotential effectively describing the collective self-organization of the motors propelling a cell at a continuum active gel level. Such a model allows us to understand cell motility as an active phase transition problem between the static and motile steady-state configurations that minimize the quasipotential. In particular, both configurations can coexist in a metastable fashion and a small stochastic disorder in the gel is sufficient to trigger an intermittent cell dynamics where either static or motile phases are more probable, depending on which state is the global minimum of the quasipotential.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Chelly
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, LIPhy, F-38000 Grenoble, France
| | - P Recho
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, LIPhy, F-38000 Grenoble, France
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28
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Phase field model for cell spreading dynamics. J Math Biol 2022; 84:32. [PMID: 35301603 DOI: 10.1007/s00285-022-01732-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2021] [Revised: 01/15/2022] [Accepted: 02/19/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
We suggest a 3D phase field model to describe 3D cell spreading on a flat substrate. The model is a simplified version of a minimal model that was developed in Winkler (Commun Phys 2:82, 2019). Our model couples the order parameter u with 3D polarization (orientation) vector field [Formula: see text] of the actin network. We derive a closed integro-differential equation governing the 3D cell spreading dynamics on a flat substrate, which includes the normal velocity of the membrane, curvature, volume relaxation rate, a function determined by the molecular effects of the subcell level, and the adhesion effect. This equation is easily solved numerically. The results are in agreement with the early fast phase observed experimentally in Dobereiner (Phys Rev Lett 93:108105, 2004). Also we find agreement with the universal power law (Cuvelier in Curr Biol 17:694-699, 2007) which suggest that cell adhesion or contact area versus time behave as [Formula: see text] in the early stage of cell spreading dynamics, and slow down at the next stages.
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29
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Chandra A, Butler MT, Bear JE, Haugh JM. Modeling cell protrusion predicts how myosin II and actin turnover affect adhesion-based signaling. Biophys J 2022; 121:102-118. [PMID: 34861242 PMCID: PMC8758409 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2021.11.2889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Revised: 11/03/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Orchestration of cell migration is essential for development, tissue regeneration, and the immune response. This dynamic process integrates adhesion, signaling, and cytoskeletal subprocesses across spatial and temporal scales. In mesenchymal cells, adhesion complexes bound to extracellular matrix mediate both biochemical signal transduction and physical interaction with the F-actin cytoskeleton. Here, we present a mathematical model that offers insight into both aspects, considering spatiotemporal dynamics of nascent adhesions, active signaling molecules, mechanical clutching, actin treadmilling, and nonmuscle myosin II contractility. At the core of the model is a positive feedback loop, whereby adhesion-based signaling promotes generation of barbed ends at, and protrusion of, the cell's leading edge, which in turn promotes formation and stabilization of nascent adhesions. The model predicts a switch-like transition and optimality of membrane protrusion, determined by the balance of actin polymerization and retrograde flow, with respect to extracellular matrix density. The model, together with new experimental measurements, explains how protrusion can be modulated by mechanical effects (nonmuscle myosin II contractility and adhesive bond stiffness) and F-actin turnover.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ankit Chandra
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina
| | - Mitchell T. Butler
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - James E. Bear
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Jason M. Haugh
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina,Corresponding author
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30
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Ghabache E, Cao Y, Miao Y, Groisman A, Devreotes PN, Rappel W. Coupling traction force patterns and actomyosin wave dynamics reveals mechanics of cell motion. Mol Syst Biol 2021; 17:e10505. [PMID: 34898015 PMCID: PMC8666840 DOI: 10.15252/msb.202110505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2021] [Revised: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Motile cells can use and switch between different modes of migration. Here, we use traction force microscopy and fluorescent labeling of actin and myosin to quantify and correlate traction force patterns and cytoskeletal distributions in Dictyostelium discoideum cells that move and switch between keratocyte-like fan-shaped, oscillatory, and amoeboid modes. We find that the wave dynamics of the cytoskeletal components critically determine the traction force pattern, cell morphology, and migration mode. Furthermore, we find that fan-shaped cells can exhibit two different propulsion mechanisms, each with a distinct traction force pattern. Finally, the traction force patterns can be recapitulated using a computational model, which uses the experimentally determined spatiotemporal distributions of actin and myosin forces and a viscous cytoskeletal network. Our results suggest that cell motion can be generated by friction between the flow of this network and the substrate.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yuansheng Cao
- Department of PhysicsUniversity of California, San DiegoLa JollaCAUSA
| | - Yuchuan Miao
- Department of Cell BiologySchool of MedicineJohns Hopkins UniversityBaltimoreMDUSA
| | - Alex Groisman
- Department of PhysicsUniversity of California, San DiegoLa JollaCAUSA
| | - Peter N Devreotes
- Department of Cell BiologySchool of MedicineJohns Hopkins UniversityBaltimoreMDUSA
| | - Wouter‐Jan Rappel
- Department of PhysicsUniversity of California, San DiegoLa JollaCAUSA
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31
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Drozdowski OM, Ziebert F, Schwarz US. Optogenetic control of intracellular flows and cell migration: A comprehensive mathematical analysis with a minimal active gel model. Phys Rev E 2021; 104:024406. [PMID: 34525652 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.104.024406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Accepted: 07/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The actin cytoskeleton of cells is in continuous motion due to both polymerization of new filaments and their contraction by myosin II molecular motors. Through adhesion to the substrate, such intracellular flow can be converted into cell migration. Recently, optogenetics has emerged as a new powerful experimental method to control both actin polymerization and myosin II contraction. While optogenetic control of polymerization can initiate cell migration by generating protrusion, it is less clear if and how optogenetic control of contraction can also affect cell migration. Here we analyze the latter situation using a minimal variant of active gel theory into which we include optogenetic activation as a spatiotemporally constrained perturbation. The model can describe the symmetrical flow of the actomyosin system observed in optogenetic experiments, but not the long-lasting polarization required for cell migration. Motile solutions become possible if cytoskeletal polymerization is included through the boundary conditions. Optogenetic activation of contraction can then initiate locomotion in a symmetrically spreading cell and strengthen motility in an asymmetrically polymerizing one. If designed appropriately, it can also arrest motility even for protrusive boundaries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver M Drozdowski
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, Heidelberg University, Philosophenweg 19, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany and BioQuant, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 267, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Falko Ziebert
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, Heidelberg University, Philosophenweg 19, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany and BioQuant, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 267, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ulrich S Schwarz
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, Heidelberg University, Philosophenweg 19, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany and BioQuant, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 267, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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32
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Schindler D, Moldenhawer T, Stange M, Lepro V, Beta C, Holschneider M, Huisinga W. Analysis of protrusion dynamics in amoeboid cell motility by means of regularized contour flows. PLoS Comput Biol 2021; 17:e1009268. [PMID: 34424898 PMCID: PMC8412247 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Revised: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Amoeboid cell motility is essential for a wide range of biological processes including wound healing, embryonic morphogenesis, and cancer metastasis. It relies on complex dynamical patterns of cell shape changes that pose long-standing challenges to mathematical modeling and raise a need for automated and reproducible approaches to extract quantitative morphological features from image sequences. Here, we introduce a theoretical framework and a computational method for obtaining smooth representations of the spatiotemporal contour dynamics from stacks of segmented microscopy images. Based on a Gaussian process regression we propose a one-parameter family of regularized contour flows that allows us to continuously track reference points (virtual markers) between successive cell contours. We use this approach to define a coordinate system on the moving cell boundary and to represent different local geometric quantities in this frame of reference. In particular, we introduce the local marker dispersion as a measure to identify localized membrane expansions and provide a fully automated way to extract the properties of such expansions, including their area and growth time. The methods are available as an open-source software package called AmoePy, a Python-based toolbox for analyzing amoeboid cell motility (based on time-lapse microscopy data), including a graphical user interface and detailed documentation. Due to the mathematical rigor of our framework, we envision it to be of use for the development of novel cell motility models. We mainly use experimental data of the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum to illustrate and validate our approach. Amoeboid motion is a crawling-like cell migration that plays an important key role in multiple biological processes such as wound healing and cancer metastasis. This type of cell motility results from expanding and simultaneously contracting parts of the cell membrane. From fluorescence images, we obtain a sequence of points, representing the cell membrane, for each time step. By using regression analysis on these sequences, we derive smooth representations, so-called contours, of the membrane. Since the number of measurements is discrete and often limited, the question is raised of how to link consecutive contours with each other. In this work, we present a novel mathematical framework in which these links are described by regularized flows allowing a certain degree of concentration or stretching of neighboring reference points on the same contour. This stretching rate, the so-called local dispersion, is used to identify expansions and contractions of the cell membrane providing a fully automated way of extracting properties of these cell shape changes. We applied our methods to time-lapse microscopy data of the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Schindler
- Institute of Mathematics, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Ted Moldenhawer
- Institute of Physics and Astronomy, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Maike Stange
- Institute of Physics and Astronomy, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Valentino Lepro
- Institute of Physics and Astronomy, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
- Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Carsten Beta
- Institute of Physics and Astronomy, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | | | - Wilhelm Huisinga
- Institute of Mathematics, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
- * E-mail:
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33
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Fiorenza SA, Steckhahn DG, Betterton MD. Modeling spatiotemporally varying protein-protein interactions in CyLaKS, the Cytoskeleton Lattice-based Kinetic Simulator. THE EUROPEAN PHYSICAL JOURNAL. E, SOFT MATTER 2021; 44:105. [PMID: 34406510 PMCID: PMC10202044 DOI: 10.1140/epje/s10189-021-00097-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/21/2021] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Interaction of cytoskeletal filaments, motor proteins, and crosslinking proteins drives important cellular processes such as cell division and cell movement. Cytoskeletal networks also exhibit nonequilibrium self-assembly in reconstituted systems. An emerging problem in cytoskeletal modeling and simulation is spatiotemporal alteration of the dynamics of filaments, motors, and associated proteins. This can occur due to motor crowding, obstacles along the filament, motor interactions and direction switching, and changes, defects, or heterogeneity in the filament binding lattice. How such spatiotemporally varying cytoskeletal filaments and motor interactions affect their collective properties is not fully understood. We developed the Cytoskeleton Lattice-based Kinetic Simulator (CyLaKS) to investigate such problems. The simulation model builds on previous work by incorporating motor mechanochemistry into a simulation with many interacting motors and/or associated proteins on a discretized lattice. CyLaKS also includes detailed balance in binding kinetics, movement, and lattice heterogeneity. The simulation framework is flexible and extensible for future modeling work and is available on GitHub for others to freely use or build upon. Here we illustrate the use of CyLaKS to study long-range motor interactions, microtubule lattice heterogeneity, motion of a heterodimeric motor, and how changing crosslinker number affects filament separation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shane A Fiorenza
- Department of Physics, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, USA
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34
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Chen Z, Li Q, Xu S, Ouyang J, Wei H. Nanotopography-Modulated Epithelial Cell Collective Migration. J Biomed Nanotechnol 2021; 17:1079-1087. [PMID: 34167622 DOI: 10.1166/jbn.2021.3086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Matrix nanotopography plays an essential role in regulating cell behaviors including cell proliferation, differentiation, and migration. While studies on isolated single cell migration along the nanostructural orientation have been reported for various cell types, there remains a lack of understanding of how nanotopography regulates the behavior of collectively migrating cells during processes such as epithelial wound healing. We demonstrated that collective migration of epithelial cells was promoted on nanogratings perpendicular to, but not on those parallel to, the wound-healing axis. We further discovered that nanograting-modulated epithelial migration was dominated by the adhesion turnover process, which was Rho-associated protein kinase activity-dependent, and the lamellipodia protrusion at the cell leading edge, which was Rac1-GTPase activity-dependent. This work provides explanations to the distinct migration behavior of epithelial cells on nanogratings, and indicates that the effect of nanotopographic modulations on cell migration is cell-type dependent and involves complex mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zaozao Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210096, China
| | - Qiwei Li
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210096, China
| | - Shihui Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210096, China
| | - Jun Ouyang
- Institute of Biomaterials and Medical Devices, Southeast University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215163, China
| | - Hongmei Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210096, China
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35
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Avila Ponce de León MA, Félix B, Othmer HG. A phosphoinositide-based model of actin waves in frustrated phagocytosis. J Theor Biol 2021; 527:110764. [PMID: 34029577 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2021.110764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2021] [Revised: 05/05/2021] [Accepted: 05/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Phagocytosis is a complex process by which phagocytes such as lymphocytes or macrophages engulf and destroy foreign bodies called pathogens in a tissue. The process is triggered by the detection of antibodies that trigger signaling mechanisms that control the changes of the cellular cytoskeleton needed for engulfment of the pathogen. A mathematical model of the entire process would be extremely complicated, because the signaling and cytoskeletal changes produce large mechanical deformations of the cell. Recent experiments have used a confinement technique that leads to a process called frustrated phagocytosis, in which the membrane does not deform, but rather, signaling triggers actin waves that propagate along the boundary of the cell. This eliminates the large-scale deformations and facilitates modeling of the wave dynamics. Herein we develop a model of the actin dynamics observed in frustrated phagocytosis and show that it can replicate the experimental observations. We identify the key components that control the actin waves and make a number of experimentally-testable predictions. In particular, we predict that diffusion coefficients of membrane-bound species must be larger behind the wavefront to replicate the internal structure of the waves. Our model is a first step toward a more complete model of phagocytosis, and provides insights into circular dorsal ruffles as well.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Bryan Félix
- School of Mathematics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Hans G Othmer
- School of Mathematics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
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36
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A formalism for modelling traction forces and cell shape evolution during cell migration in various biomedical processes. Biomech Model Mechanobiol 2021; 20:1459-1475. [PMID: 33893558 PMCID: PMC8298374 DOI: 10.1007/s10237-021-01456-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 03/31/2021] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
The phenomenological model for cell shape deformation and cell migration Chen (BMM 17:1429–1450, 2018), Vermolen and Gefen (BMM 12:301–323, 2012), is extended with the incorporation of cell traction forces and the evolution of cell equilibrium shapes as a result of cell differentiation. Plastic deformations of the extracellular matrix are modelled using morphoelasticity theory. The resulting partial differential differential equations are solved by the use of the finite element method. The paper treats various biological scenarios that entail cell migration and cell shape evolution. The experimental observations in Mak et al. (LC 13:340–348, 2013), where transmigration of cancer cells through narrow apertures is studied, are reproduced using a Monte Carlo framework.
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37
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Liu K, Patteson AE, Banigan EJ, Schwarz JM. Dynamic Nuclear Structure Emerges from Chromatin Cross-Links and Motors. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2021; 126:158101. [PMID: 33929233 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.126.158101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2020] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The cell nucleus houses the chromosomes, which are linked to a soft shell of lamin protein filaments. Experiments indicate that correlated chromosome dynamics and nuclear shape fluctuations arise from motor activity. To identify the physical mechanisms, we develop a model of an active, cross-linked Rouse chain bound to a polymeric shell. System-sized correlated motions occur but require both motor activity and cross-links. Contractile motors, in particular, enhance chromosome dynamics by driving anomalous density fluctuations. Nuclear shape fluctuations depend on motor strength, cross-linking, and chromosome-lamina binding. Therefore, complex chromosome dynamics and nuclear shape emerge from a minimal, active chromosome-lamina system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kuang Liu
- Department of Physics and BioInspired Syracuse, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York 13244, USA
| | - Alison E Patteson
- Department of Physics and BioInspired Syracuse, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York 13244, USA
| | - Edward J Banigan
- Institute for Medical Engineering and Science and Department of Physics, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - J M Schwarz
- Department of Physics and BioInspired Syracuse, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York 13244, USA
- Indian Creek Farm, Ithaca, New York 14850, USA
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38
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Lamson AR, Moore JM, Fang F, Glaser MA, Shelley MJ, Betterton MD. Comparison of explicit and mean-field models of cytoskeletal filaments with crosslinking motors. THE EUROPEAN PHYSICAL JOURNAL. E, SOFT MATTER 2021; 44:45. [PMID: 33779863 PMCID: PMC8220871 DOI: 10.1140/epje/s10189-021-00042-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2021] [Accepted: 02/20/2021] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
In cells, cytoskeletal filament networks are responsible for cell movement, growth, and division. Filaments in the cytoskeleton are driven and organized by crosslinking molecular motors. In reconstituted cytoskeletal systems, motor activity is responsible for far-from-equilibrium phenomena such as active stress, self-organized flow, and spontaneous nematic defect generation. How microscopic interactions between motors and filaments lead to larger-scale dynamics remains incompletely understood. To build from motor-filament interactions to predict bulk behavior of cytoskeletal systems, more computationally efficient techniques for modeling motor-filament interactions are needed. Here, we derive a coarse-graining hierarchy of explicit and continuum models for crosslinking motors that bind to and walk on filament pairs. We compare the steady-state motor distribution and motor-induced filament motion for the different models and analyze their computational cost. All three models agree well in the limit of fast motor binding kinetics. Evolving a truncated moment expansion of motor density speeds the computation by [Formula: see text]-[Formula: see text] compared to the explicit or continuous-density simulations, suggesting an approach for more efficient simulation of large networks. These tools facilitate further study of motor-filament networks on micrometer to millimeter length scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam R Lamson
- Department of Physics, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, USA.
| | - Jeffrey M Moore
- Department of Physics, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, USA
| | - Fang Fang
- Courant Institute, New York University, New York, USA
| | - Matthew A Glaser
- Department of Physics, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, USA
| | - Michael J Shelley
- Courant Institute, New York University, New York, USA
- Center for Computational Biology, Flatiron Institute, New York, USA
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Versaevel M, Alaimo L, Seveau V, Luciano M, Mohammed D, Bruyère C, Vercruysse E, Théodoly O, Gabriele S. Collective migration during a gap closure in a two-dimensional haptotactic model. Sci Rep 2021; 11:5811. [PMID: 33712641 PMCID: PMC7954790 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-84998-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2019] [Accepted: 02/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability of cells to respond to substrate-bound protein gradients is crucial for many physiological processes, such as immune response, neurogenesis and cancer cell migration. However, the difficulty to produce well-controlled protein gradients has long been a limitation to our understanding of collective cell migration in response to haptotaxis. Here we use a photopatterning technique to create circular, square and linear fibronectin (FN) gradients on two-dimensional (2D) culture substrates. We observed that epithelial cells spread preferentially on zones of higher FN density, creating rounded or elongated gaps within epithelial tissues over circular or linear FN gradients, respectively. Using time-lapse experiments, we demonstrated that the gap closure mechanism in a 2D haptotaxis model requires a significant increase of the leader cell area. In addition, we found that gap closures are slower on decreasing FN densities than on homogenous FN-coated substrate and that fresh closed gaps are characterized by a lower cell density. Interestingly, our results showed that cell proliferation increases in the closed gap region after maturation to restore the cell density, but that cell–cell adhesive junctions remain weaker in scarred epithelial zones. Taken together, our findings provide a better understanding of the wound healing process over protein gradients, which are reminiscent of haptotaxis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Versaevel
- Mechanobiology & Soft Matter Group, Interfaces and Complex Fluids Laboratory, Research Institute for Biosciences, CIRMAP, University of Mons, 20 Place du Parc, 7000, Mons, Belgium
| | - Laura Alaimo
- Mechanobiology & Soft Matter Group, Interfaces and Complex Fluids Laboratory, Research Institute for Biosciences, CIRMAP, University of Mons, 20 Place du Parc, 7000, Mons, Belgium
| | - Valentine Seveau
- Adhesion and Inflammation Laboratory, INSERM U1067, UMR 7333, CNRS, 163 avenue de Luminy-Case 937, 13288, Marseille Cedex 09, France
| | - Marine Luciano
- Mechanobiology & Soft Matter Group, Interfaces and Complex Fluids Laboratory, Research Institute for Biosciences, CIRMAP, University of Mons, 20 Place du Parc, 7000, Mons, Belgium
| | - Danahe Mohammed
- Mechanobiology & Soft Matter Group, Interfaces and Complex Fluids Laboratory, Research Institute for Biosciences, CIRMAP, University of Mons, 20 Place du Parc, 7000, Mons, Belgium
| | - Céline Bruyère
- Mechanobiology & Soft Matter Group, Interfaces and Complex Fluids Laboratory, Research Institute for Biosciences, CIRMAP, University of Mons, 20 Place du Parc, 7000, Mons, Belgium
| | - Eléonore Vercruysse
- Mechanobiology & Soft Matter Group, Interfaces and Complex Fluids Laboratory, Research Institute for Biosciences, CIRMAP, University of Mons, 20 Place du Parc, 7000, Mons, Belgium
| | - Olivier Théodoly
- Adhesion and Inflammation Laboratory, INSERM U1067, UMR 7333, CNRS, 163 avenue de Luminy-Case 937, 13288, Marseille Cedex 09, France
| | - Sylvain Gabriele
- Mechanobiology & Soft Matter Group, Interfaces and Complex Fluids Laboratory, Research Institute for Biosciences, CIRMAP, University of Mons, 20 Place du Parc, 7000, Mons, Belgium.
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40
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Wang N, Zhang H, Cui X, Ma C, Wang L, Liu W. Runx3 Induces a Cell Shape Change and Suppresses Migration and Metastasis of Melanoma Cells by Altering a Transcriptional Profile. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:2219. [PMID: 33672337 PMCID: PMC7926509 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22042219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2021] [Revised: 02/08/2021] [Accepted: 02/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Runt-related transcription factor-3 (Runx3) is a tumor suppressor, and its contribution to melanoma progression remains unclear. We previously demonstrated that Runx3 re-expression in B16-F10 melanoma cells changed their shape and attenuated their migration. In this study, we found that Runx3 re-expression in B16-F10 cells also suppressed their pulmonary metastasis. We performed microarray analysis and uncovered an altered transcriptional profile underlying the cell shape change and the suppression of migration and metastasis. This altered transcriptional profile was rich in Gene Ontology/Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (GO/KEGG) annotations relevant to adhesion and the actin cytoskeleton and included differentially expressed genes for some major extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins as well as genes that were inversely associated with the increase in the metastatic potential of B16-F10 cells compared to B16-F0 melanoma cells. Further, we found that this altered transcriptional profile could have prognostic value, as evidenced by myelin and lymphocyte protein (MAL) and vilin-like (VILL). Finally, Mal gene expression was correlated with metastatic potential among the cells and was targeted by histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors in B16-F10 cells, and the knockdown of Mal gene expression in B16-F0 cells changed their shape and enhanced the migratory and invasive traits of their metastasis. Our study suggests that self-entrapping of metastatic Runx3-negative melanoma cells via adhesion and the actin cytoskeleton could be a powerful therapeutic strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ning Wang
- Institute of Genetics and Cell Biology, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, No. 5268, Renmin St., Changchun 130024, China; (N.W.); (X.C.); (C.M.); (L.W.)
| | - Haiying Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Pathobiology of Ministry of Education, Norman Bethune College of Medicine, Jilin University, No. 126, Xinmin St., Changchun 130021, China;
| | - Xiulin Cui
- Institute of Genetics and Cell Biology, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, No. 5268, Renmin St., Changchun 130024, China; (N.W.); (X.C.); (C.M.); (L.W.)
| | - Chao Ma
- Institute of Genetics and Cell Biology, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, No. 5268, Renmin St., Changchun 130024, China; (N.W.); (X.C.); (C.M.); (L.W.)
| | - Linghui Wang
- Institute of Genetics and Cell Biology, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, No. 5268, Renmin St., Changchun 130024, China; (N.W.); (X.C.); (C.M.); (L.W.)
| | - Wenguang Liu
- Institute of Genetics and Cell Biology, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, No. 5268, Renmin St., Changchun 130024, China; (N.W.); (X.C.); (C.M.); (L.W.)
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41
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Lou SS, Kennard AS, Koslover EF, Gutierrez E, Groisman A, Theriot JA. Elastic wrinkling of keratocyte lamellipodia driven by myosin-induced contractile stress. Biophys J 2021; 120:1578-1591. [PMID: 33631203 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2021.02.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2020] [Revised: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
During actin-based cell migration, the actin cytoskeleton in the lamellipodium both generates and responds to force, which has functional consequences for the ability of the cell to extend protrusions. However, the material properties of the lamellipodial actin network and its response to stress on the timescale of motility are incompletely understood. Here, we describe a dynamic wrinkling phenotype in the lamellipodium of fish keratocytes, in which the actin sheet buckles upward away from the ventral membrane of the cell, forming a periodic pattern of wrinkles perpendicular to the cell's leading edge. Cells maintain an approximately constant wrinkle wavelength over time despite new wrinkle formation and the lateral movement of wrinkles in the cell frame of reference, suggesting that cells have a preferred or characteristic wrinkle wavelength. Generation of wrinkles is dependent upon myosin contractility, and their wavelength scales directly with the density of the actin network and inversely with cell adhesion. These results are consistent with a simple physical model for wrinkling in an elastic sheet under compression and suggest that the lamellipodial cytoskeleton behaves as an elastic material on the timescale of cell migration despite rapid actin turnover.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sunny S Lou
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California
| | - Andrew S Kennard
- Program in Biophysics, Stanford University, Stanford, California; Department of Biology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - Elena F Koslover
- Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, California
| | - Edgar Gutierrez
- Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, California
| | - Alexander Groisman
- Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, California
| | - Julie A Theriot
- Department of Biology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
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42
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Schreiber C, Amiri B, Heyn JCJ, Rädler JO, Falcke M. On the adhesion-velocity relation and length adaptation of motile cells on stepped fibronectin lanes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2009959118. [PMID: 33483418 PMCID: PMC7869109 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2009959118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The biphasic adhesion-velocity relation is a universal observation in mesenchymal cell motility. It has been explained by adhesion-promoted forces pushing the front and resisting motion at the rear. Yet, there is little quantitative understanding of how these forces control cell velocity. We study motion of MDA-MB-231 cells on microlanes with fields of alternating Fibronectin densities to address this topic and derive a mathematical model from the leading-edge force balance and the force-dependent polymerization rate. It reproduces quantitatively our measured adhesion-velocity relation and results with keratocytes, PtK1 cells, and CHO cells. Our results confirm that the force pushing the leading-edge membrane drives lamellipodial retrograde flow. Forces resisting motion originate along the whole cell length. All motion-related forces are controlled by adhesion and velocity, which allows motion, even with higher Fibronectin density at the rear than at the front. We find the pathway from Fibronectin density to adhesion structures to involve strong positive feedbacks. Suppressing myosin activity reduces the positive feedback. At transitions between different Fibronectin densities, steady motion is perturbed and leads to changes of cell length and front and rear velocity. Cells exhibit an intrinsic length set by adhesion strength, which, together with the length dynamics, suggests a spring-like front-rear interaction force. We provide a quantitative mechanistic picture of the adhesion-velocity relation and cell response to adhesion changes integrating force-dependent polymerization, retrograde flow, positive feedback from integrin to adhesion structures, and spring-like front-rear interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christoph Schreiber
- Faculty of Physics and Center for NanoScience, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 80539 Munich, Germany
| | - Behnam Amiri
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, 13125 Berlin, Germany
| | - Johannes C J Heyn
- Faculty of Physics and Center for NanoScience, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 80539 Munich, Germany
| | - Joachim O Rädler
- Faculty of Physics and Center for NanoScience, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 80539 Munich, Germany;
| | - Martin Falcke
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, 13125 Berlin, Germany;
- Department of Physics, Humboldt University, 12489 Berlin, Germany
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43
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Abstract
We study the behaviour of the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (CR) in the presence of neighbouring regions of different viscosity. We show that the velocity and angular diffusion of the algae decreases when the viscosity of the surrounding medium is increased. We report on a phenomenon occurring when the algae try to cross from a region of low viscosity to a highly viscous one, which causes CR to re-orient and scatter away from the interface if it is approached at a sufficiently small angle. We highlight that the effect does not occur for CR crossing from high to low viscosity regions. Lastly we show that algae do not concentrate in the region of high viscosity despite them swimming slower there. On the contrary, they concentrate in the region of low viscosity or maintain a uniform concentration profile, depending on the viscosity ratio between the two regions.
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44
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Bolle N, Mizuhara MS. Dynamics of a cell motility model near the sharp interface limit. J Theor Biol 2020; 505:110420. [PMID: 32739242 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2020.110420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2020] [Revised: 07/14/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Phase-field models have recently had great success in describing the dynamic morphologies and motility of eukaryotic cells. In this work we investigate the minimal phase-field model introduced in Berlyand et al. (2017). Rigorous analysis of its sharp interface limit dynamics was completed in Mizuhara et al. (2016) and Mizuhara et al. (2019), where it was observed that persistent cell motion was not stable. In this work we numerically study the pre-limiting phase-field model near the sharp interface limit, to better understand this lack of persistent motion. We find that immobile, persistent, and rotating states are all exhibited in this minimal model, and investigate the loss of persistent motion in the sharp interface limit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Bolle
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, The College of New Jersey Ewing Township, NJ, United States.
| | - Matthew S Mizuhara
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, The College of New Jersey Ewing Township, NJ, United States.
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45
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MacKay L, Lehman E, Khadra A. Deciphering the dynamics of lamellipodium in a fish keratocytes model. J Theor Biol 2020; 512:110534. [PMID: 33181178 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2020.110534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2020] [Revised: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Motile cells depend on an intricate network of feedback loops that are essential in driving cell movement. Integrin-based focal adhesions (FAs) along with actin are the two key factors that mediate such motile behaviour. Together, they generate excitable dynamics that are essential for forming protrusions at the leading edge of the cell and, in certain cases, traveling waves along the membrane. A partial differential equation (PDE) model of a self-organizing lamellipodium in crawling keratocytes has been previously developed to understand how the three spatiotemporal patterns of activity observed in such cells, namely, stalling, waving and smooth motility, are produced. The model consisted of three key variables: the density of barbed actin filaments, newly formed FAs called nascent adhesions (NAs) and VASP, an anti-capping protein that gets sequestered by NAs during maturation. Using parameter sweeping techniques, the distinct regimes of behaviour associated with the three activity patterns were identified. In this study, we convert the PDE model into an ordinary differential equation (ODE) model to examine its excitability properties and determine all the patterns of activity exhibited by this system. Our results reveal that there are two additional regimes not previously identified, including bistability and oscillatory-like type IV excitability (generated by three steady states and their manifolds, rather than limit cycles). These regimes are also present in the PDE model. Applying slow-fast analysis on the ODE model shows that it exhibits a canard explosion through a folded-saddle and that rough motility seen in keratocytes is likely due to noise-dependent motility governed by dynamics near the interface of bistability and type IV excitability. The two parameter bifurcation suggests that the increase in the proportion of rough motion is due to a shift in activity towards the bistable and type IV excitable regimes induced by a decrease in NA maturation rate. Our results thus provide important insight into how microscopic mechanical effects are integrated to produce the observed modes of motility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurent MacKay
- Department of Physiology, McGill University, McIntyre Medical Building, 3655 Promenade Sir William Osler, QC H3G 1Y6, Canada.
| | | | - Anmar Khadra
- Department of Physiology, McGill University, McIntyre Medical Building, 3655 Promenade Sir William Osler, QC H3G 1Y6, Canada.
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46
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Stick-slip model for actin-driven cell protrusions, cell polarization, and crawling. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:24670-24678. [PMID: 32958682 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2011785117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Cell crawling requires the generation of intracellular forces by the cytoskeleton and their transmission to an extracellular substrate through specific adhesion molecules. Crawling cells show many features of excitable systems, such as spontaneous symmetry breaking and crawling in the absence of external cues, and periodic and propagating waves of activity. Mechanical instabilities in the active cytoskeleton network and feedback loops in the biochemical network of activators and repressors of cytoskeleton dynamics have been invoked to explain these dynamical features. Here, I show that the interplay between the dynamics of cell-substrate adhesion and linear cellular mechanics is sufficient to reproduce many nonlinear dynamical patterns observed in spreading and crawling cells. Using an analytical formalism of the molecular clutch model of cell adhesion, regulated by local mechanical forces, I show that cellular traction forces exhibit stick-slip dynamics resulting in periodic waves of protrusion/retraction and propagating waves along the cell edge. This can explain spontaneous symmetry breaking and polarization of spreading cells, leading to steady crawling or bipedal motion, and bistability, where persistent cell motion requires a sufficiently strong transient external stimulus. The model also highlights the role of membrane tension in providing the long-range mechanical communication across the cell required for symmetry breaking.
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47
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Zhao J, Manuchehrfar F, Liang J. Cell-substrate mechanics guide collective cell migration through intercellular adhesion: a dynamic finite element cellular model. Biomech Model Mechanobiol 2020; 19:1781-1796. [PMID: 32108272 PMCID: PMC7990038 DOI: 10.1007/s10237-020-01308-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2019] [Accepted: 02/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
During the process of tissue formation and regeneration, cells migrate collectively while remaining connected through intercellular adhesions. However, the roles of cell-substrate and cell-cell mechanical interactions in regulating collective cell migration are still unclear. In this study, we employ a newly developed finite element cellular model to study collective cell migration by exploring the effects of mechanical feedback between cell and substrate and mechanical signal transmission between adjacent cells. Our viscoelastic model of cells consists many triangular elements and is of high resolution. Cadherin adhesion between cells is modeled explicitly as linear springs at subcellular level. In addition, we incorporate a mechano-chemical feedback loop between cell-substrate mechanics and Rac-mediated cell protrusion. Our model can reproduce a number of experimentally observed patterns of collective cell migration during wound healing, including cell migration persistence, separation distance between cell pairs and migration direction. Moreover, we demonstrate that cell protrusion determined by the cell-substrate mechanics plays an important role in guiding persistent and oriented collective cell migration. Furthermore, this guidance cue can be maintained and transmitted to submarginal cells of long distance through intercellular adhesions. Our study illustrates that our finite element cellular model can be employed to study broad problems of complex tissue in dynamic changes at subcellular level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jieling Zhao
- INRIA de Paris and Sorbonne Universités UPMC, LJLL Team Mamba, Paris, France.
| | - Farid Manuchehrfar
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, USA
| | - Jie Liang
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, USA
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48
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Allen GM, Lee KC, Barnhart EL, Tsuchida MA, Wilson CA, Gutierrez E, Groisman A, Theriot JA, Mogilner A. Cell Mechanics at the Rear Act to Steer the Direction of Cell Migration. Cell Syst 2020; 11:286-299.e4. [PMID: 32916096 PMCID: PMC7530145 DOI: 10.1016/j.cels.2020.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Revised: 06/17/2020] [Accepted: 08/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Motile cells navigate complex environments by changing their direction of travel, generating left-right asymmetries in their mechanical subsystems to physically turn. Currently, little is known about how external directional cues are propagated along the length scale of the whole cell and integrated with its force-generating apparatus to steer migration mechanically. We examine the mechanics of spontaneous cell turning in fish epidermal keratocytes and find that the mechanical asymmetries responsible for turning behavior predominate at the rear of the cell, where there is asymmetric centripetal actin flow. Using experimental perturbations, we identify two linked feedback loops connecting myosin II contractility, adhesion strength and actin network flow in turning cells that are sufficient to explain the observed cell shapes and trajectories. Notably, asymmetries in actin polymerization at the cell leading edge play only a minor role in the mechanics of cell turning-that is, cells steer from the rear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Greg M Allen
- Department of Biochemistry and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Kun Chun Lee
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Erin L Barnhart
- Department of Biochemistry and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Mark A Tsuchida
- Department of Biochemistry and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Cyrus A Wilson
- Department of Biochemistry and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Edgar Gutierrez
- Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA 92023, USA
| | - Alexander Groisman
- Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA 92023, USA
| | - Julie A Theriot
- Department of Biology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
| | - Alex Mogilner
- Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY 10012, USA.
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49
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Abstract
While the organization of inanimate systems such as gases or liquids is predominantly thermodynamically driven—a mixture of two gases will tend to mix until they reach equilibrium—biological systems frequently exhibit organization that is far from a well-mixed equilibrium. The anisotropies displayed by cells are evident in some of the dynamic processes that constitute life including cell development, movement, and division. These anisotropies operate at different length-scales, from the meso- to the nanoscale, and are proposed to reflect self-organization, a characteristic of living systems that is becoming accessible to reconstitution from purified components, and thus a more thorough understanding. Here, some examples of self-organization underlying cellular anisotropies at the cellular level are reviewed, with an emphasis on Rho-family GTPases operating at the plasma membrane. Given the technical challenges of studying these dynamic proteins, some of the successful approaches that are being employed to study their self-organization will also be considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Derek McCusker
- Dynamics of Cell Growth and Division, European Institute of Chemistry and Biology, F-33607 Bordeaux, France; Institute of Biochemistry and Cellular Genetics, UMR 5095, University of Bordeaux and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
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50
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Le Goff T, Liebchen B, Marenduzzo D. Actomyosin Contraction Induces In-Bulk Motility of Cells and Droplets. Biophys J 2020; 119:1025-1032. [PMID: 32795395 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2020.06.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2019] [Revised: 04/29/2020] [Accepted: 06/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
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 between myosin-induced flow and advection-induced myosin accumulation, which leads to clustering and locally enhanced flow. The symmetry of such flow is then spontaneously broken through actomyosin-membrane interactions, leading to self-organized droplet motility relative to the underlying solvent. Depending on the balance between contraction, diffusion, detachment rate of myosin, and effective surface tension, this motion can be either straight or circular. Our simulations and analytical results shed new light on in-bulk myosin-driven cell motility in living cells and provide a framework to design a novel type of synthetic active matter droplet potentially resembling the motility mechanism of biological cells.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Benno Liebchen
- Institute of Condensed Matter Physics, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Davide Marenduzzo
- SUPA, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
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