Berlin 2012 – wissenschaftliches Programm
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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 17: Posters: Physics of Cells
BP 17.17: Poster
Mittwoch, 28. März 2012, 17:30–19:30, Poster A
Lipid membrane mechanics in cytokinesis — •Jochen A. M. Schneider1, Andrea M. Pereira2, Ewa Paluch2, and Guillaume Salbreux1 — 1Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Dresden, Germany — 2Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany
Cytokinesis, the process of physically dividing the cell at the end of mitosis, is achieved through the regulated variations of forces within the cell. A key player in this process is the cell cortex, a thin layer of actin filaments and myosin molecular motors. Recently, Sedzinski et al. have introduced a mathematical model to describe the role of the cell cortex in cytokinesis [1]. The model has shown that one striking consequence of the contractile behavior of the cell cortex is the appearance of cell oscillations: because these oscillations can be seen as perturbations of the cellular shape, they give a window on important parameters controlling cell mechanics. Here we use this experimental assay to focus more particularly on the role of the lipid bilayer membrane in cytokinesis. The membrane is attached to the cell cortex and it has to mechanically balance the difference between extracellular and intracellular pressure. Under simple hypothesis on the membrane mechanical behavior and its area regulation by the cell, we investigate how its interaction with the cortex influences cell shape. Interestingly, preliminary results suggest that the membrane could play an important role in maintaining the cell shape stability.
[1] Sedzinski, J. et al. Polar actomyosin contractility destabilizes the position of the cytokinetic furrow. Nature 476, 462-466 (2011).