Topological turbulence in the membrane of a living cell

Tan, Tzer Han; Liu, Jinghui; Miller, Pearson W.; Tekant, Melis; Dunkel, Jörn; Fakhri, Nikta

doi:10.1038/s41567-020-0841-9

Cited by 83 publications

(107 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…In addition, continual creation and annihilation of topological defects in the phase (like the two spiral defects in Fig. 1 C, 25 μm) can give rise to defect-mediated turbulence 25 , 31 . We note that the pattern observed for 14 μm possess the visual characteristics of such turbulence.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bulk-surface coupling identifies the mechanistic connection between Min-protein patterns in vivo and in vitro

et al. 2021

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Self-organisation of Min proteins is responsible for the spatial control of cell division in Escherichia coli, and has been studied both in vivo and in vitro. Intriguingly, the protein patterns observed in these settings differ qualitatively and quantitatively. This puzzling dichotomy has not been resolved to date. Using reconstituted proteins in laterally wide microchambers with a well-controlled height, we experimentally show that the Min protein dynamics on the membrane crucially depend on the micro chamber height due to bulk concentration gradients orthogonal to the membrane. A theoretical analysis shows that in vitro patterns at low microchamber height are driven by the same lateral oscillation mode as pole-to-pole oscillations in vivo. At larger microchamber height, additional vertical oscillation modes set in, marking the transition to a qualitatively different in vitro regime. Our work reveals the qualitatively different mechanisms of mass transport that govern Min protein-patterns for different bulk heights and thus shows that Min patterns in cells are governed by a different mechanism than those in vitro.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bulk-surface coupling identifies the mechanistic connection between Min-protein patterns in vivo and in vitro

et al. 2021

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“…(48,(53)(54)(55) and experimentally (see e.g. (32,49,(72)(73)(74)). Interestingly, in contrast to membrane-to-membrane oscillations, membrane-to-bulk oscillations were never found to stably synchronize laterally, neither in experiments nor in simulations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Bulk-surface coupling reconciles Min-protein pattern formationin vitroandin vivo

Brauns

Pawlik

Halatek

et al. 2020

Preprint

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1 Self-organisation of Min proteins is responsible for the spatial control of cell division in Escherichia coli, and has been studied both in vivo and in vitro. Intriguingly, the protein patterns observed in these settings differ qualitatively and quantitatively. This puzzling dichotomy has not been resolved to date. Here, we experimentally show that the dynamics crucially depend on the bulk-to-surface ratio, which is vastly different between the cell geometry and traditional in vitro setups. We systematically control the bulk-to-surface ratio in vitro using laterally wide microchambers with a well-controlled bulk height. A theoretical analysis shows that in vitro patterns at low bulk height are driven by the same lateral oscillation mode as pole-to-pole oscillations in vivo. At larger bulk height, additional vertical oscillation modes set in, marking the transition to a qualitatively different in vitro regime. Our work resolves the Min system's in vivo/in vitro conundrum and provides important insights on the mechanisms underlying protein patterns in bulk-surface coupled systems.

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“…S2c). This is reminiscent of RhoA waves in starfish eggs [16]. As contractile activity is increased, the waves of actomyosin become highly peaked, generating pulsatile dynamics (Fig.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pulsatile contractions and pattern formation in excitable actomyosin cortex

Staddon

Munro

Banerjee

2021

Preprint

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The actin cortex is an active adaptive material, embedded with complex regulatory networks that can sense, generate and transmit mechanical forces. The cortex can exhibit a wide range of dynamic behaviours, from generating pulsatory contractions and traveling waves to forming highly organised structures such as ordered fibers, contractile rings and networks that must adapt to the local cellular environment. Despite the progress in characterising the biochemical and mechanical components of the actin cortex, our quantitative understanding of the emergent dynamics of this mechanochemical system is limited. Here we develop a mathematical model for the RhoA signalling network, the upstream regulator for actomyosin assembly and contractility, coupled to an active polymer gel, to investigate how the interplay between chemical signalling and mechanical forces govern the propagation of contractile stresses and patterns in the cortex. We demonstrate that mechanical feedback in the excitable RhoA system, through dilution and concentration of chemicals, acts to destabilise homogeneous states and robustly generate pulsatile contractions. While moderate active stresses generate spatial propagation of contraction pulses, higher active stresses assemble localised contractile structures. Moreover, mechanochemical feedback induces memory in the active gel, enabling long-range propagation of transient local signals.

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Topological turbulence in the membrane of a living cell

Cited by 83 publications

References 53 publications

Bulk-surface coupling identifies the mechanistic connection between Min-protein patterns in vivo and in vitro

Bulk-surface coupling identifies the mechanistic connection between Min-protein patterns in vivo and in vitro

Bulk-surface coupling reconciles Min-protein pattern formationin vitroandin vivo

Pulsatile contractions and pattern formation in excitable actomyosin cortex

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