Myosin II Is Essential for the Spatiotemporal Organization of Traction Forces during Cell Motility

Meili, Ruedi; Alonso-Latorre, Baldomero; Álamo, Juan C. del; Firtel, Richard A.; Lasheras, Juan C.

doi:10.1091/mbc.e09-08-0703

Cited by 82 publications

(129 citation statements)

References 67 publications

(116 reference statements)

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“…Note that for amoebae, recently time-resolved traction forces could be related to alternating protrusion, contraction, retraction and relaxation cycles. 60,61 Although amoebae move differently (by pseudopods) and have a different adhesion mechanism (devoid of integrins), extensions of our modeling approach could be of value for this system as well.…”

Section: Complex Modes Of Movementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling crawling cell movement on soft engineered substrates

2014

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Self-propelled motion, emerging spontaneously or in response to external cues, is a hallmark of living organisms. Systems of self-propelled synthetic particles are also relevant for multiple applications, from targeted drug delivery to the design of self-healing materials. Self-propulsion relies on the force transfer to the surrounding. While self-propelled swimming in the bulk of liquids is fairly well characterized, many open questions remain in our understanding of self-propelled motion along substrates, such as in the case of crawling cells or related biomimetic objects. How is the force transfer organized and how does it interplay with the deformability of the moving object and the substrate? How do the spatially dependent traction distribution and adhesion dynamics give rise to complex cell behavior? How can we engineer a specific cell response on synthetic compliant substrates? Here we generalize our recently developed model for a crawling cell by incorporating locally resolved traction forces and substrate deformations.The model captures the generic structure of the traction force distribution and faithfully reproduces experimental observations, like the response of a cell on a gradient in substrate elasticity (durotaxis). It also exhibits complex modes of cell movement such as "bipedal" motion. Our work may guide experiments on cell traction force microscopy and substrate-based cell sorting and can be helpful for the design of biomimetic "crawlers" and active and reconfigurable self-healing materials.

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Section: Complex Modes Of Movementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling crawling cell movement on soft engineered substrates

2014

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“…This traction cytometry method consists of measuring the deformation of a flat elastic substrate on which the animal is crawling. The mapping of the force field produced by the animal is then obtained from the measured deformations by solving the elastostatic equation at each time step [for details of the method, see the supplementary information in del Alamo et al (del Alamo et al, 2007)] (Meili et al, 2010).…”

Section: Dynamicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The mechanics of the adhesive locomotion of terrestrial gastropods

Lai

Álamo

Rodríguez-Rodríguez

et al. 2010

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARYResearch on the adhesive locomotion of terrestrial gastropods is gaining renewed interest as it provides a source of guidance for the design of soft biomimetic robots that can perform functions currently not achievable by conventional rigid vehicles. The locomotion of terrestrial gastropods is driven by a train of periodic muscle contractions (pedal waves) and relaxations (interwaves) that propagate from their tails to their heads. These ventral waves interact with a thin layer of mucus secreted by the animal that transmits propulsive forces to the ground. The exact mechanism by which these propulsive forces are generated is still a matter of controversy. Specifically, the exact role played by the complex rheological and adhesive properties of the mucus is not clear. To provide quantitative data that could shed light on this question, we use a newly developed technique to measure, with high temporal and spatial resolution, the propulsive forces that terrestrial gastropods generate while crawling on smooth flat surfaces. The traction force measurements demonstrate the importance of the finite yield stress of the mucus in generating thrust and are consistent with the surface of the ventral foot being lifted with the passage of each pedal wave. We also show that a forward propulsive force is generated beneath each stationary interwave and that this net forward component is balanced by the resistance caused by the outer rim of the ventral foot, which slides at the speed of the center of mass of the animal. Simultaneously, the animal pulls the rim laterally inward. Analysis of the traction forces reveals that the kinematics of the pedal waves is far more complex than previously thought, showing significant spatial variation (acceleration/deceleration) as the waves move from the tail to the head of the animal. Supplementary material available online at

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“…This idea is supported by the observation that cell speed is nearly a constant over the entire cycle and the motion of the cell outline is continuous sliding (20).…”

Section: Motility Modelmentioning

confidence: 91%

Stiffness Sensing and Cell Motility: Durotaxis and Contact Guidance

Feng

Levine

Mao

et al. 2018

Preprint

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Mechanical properties of the substrate plays a vital role in cell motility. Cells are shown to migrate up stiffness gradient (durotaxis) and along aligned fibers in the substrate (contact guidance). Here we present a simple mechanical model for cell migration, by placing a cell on lattice models for biopolymer gels and hydrogels. In our model cells attach to the substrate via focal adhesions (FAs). As the cells contract, forces are generated at the FAs, determining their maturation and detachment. At the same time, the cell also allowed to move and rotate to maintain force and torque balance. Our model, in which the cells only take the information of forces at the FAs, without a prior knowledge of the substrate stiffness or geometry, is able to reproduce both durotaxis and contact guidance.

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Myosin II Is Essential for the Spatiotemporal Organization of Traction Forces during Cell Motility

Cited by 82 publications

References 67 publications

Modeling crawling cell movement on soft engineered substrates

Modeling crawling cell movement on soft engineered substrates

The mechanics of the adhesive locomotion of terrestrial gastropods

Stiffness Sensing and Cell Motility: Durotaxis and Contact Guidance

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