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Shape of a eukaryotic cell: chemotactic migration of a deformable cell, and the contractility of an actin-myosin network

Aug 16, 2012 | 01:00 PM

Dr. Tetsuya Hiraiwa, Center for Developmental Biology, RIKEN, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan

Recently, the shape of a eukaryotic cell receives increasing attention of researchers of nonequilibriumsoftmatter and biophysics in the context of active softmatter. In this talk, I would like to talkabout my two works on the shape of a eukaryotic cell.Firstly, I will talk about our theoretical study on migration of a eukaryotic cell with shape deformation.As for the active motion of living cells, not only the pure mechanical aspect, but also theinformation processing to recognize their external environment plays crucial roles[1]. In this talk, Iwould like to share with you our recent result that the cell shape qualitatively influences migratingdirections of a chemotactic eukaryotic cell via the information processing. This mechanism is consideredto be one of couplings between the shape and motility of a eukaryotic cell.Secondly, I will talk about our theoretical work on the origin of the active contractile behavior of anactin-myosin network. Actin-myosin networks regulate the shape of a eukaryotic cell by producingthe active contractile force [2], and control cell migration, cytokinesis and tissue morphology. Now,Dr. Salbreux (Max-Planck-Institut für Physik komplexer Systeme) and I are investigating a contractilemechanism of an actin-myosin network due to the rotational degrees of freedom of actin filaments.I would like to explain our theoretical attempt to understand this kind of active contractilebehavior.[1]B. Hu, D. Fuller, W. Loomis, H. Levine and W. Rappel, PRE 81, 031906 (2010).[2] S. Koehler and A. Bausch, PLoS ONE 7, e39869 (2012).

Time & Location

Aug 16, 2012 | 01:00 PM

Lecture Hall, 1.3.14