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AKB: Biologische Physik

AKB 25: Active Networks and Cell Motility

AKB 25.2: Vortrag

Freitag, 4. März 2005, 15:45–16:00, TU H2013

Polymerization-Forces in Cell-Motility — •Cosima Koch, Claudia Brunner, Allen Ehrlicher, and Josef Käs — Universität Leipzig, Physik der weichen Materie

Over the last decade cell motility has been a subject of major research in cell biology, bio-medicine and biophysics. However, even up to date the detailed mechanisms of cell translocation are not completely understood. To tackle this problem we explore the effects of the actin-polymerization-disrupting drug cytochalasin D on the locomotion of fish epidermal keratocytes. The actin polymerization is essential for the protrusion of the cell’s leading edge, the lammelipodium, which is elongated by the new polymerization of actin filaments. Nevertheless it is known that there are other mechanisms involved, like the rotation of the cell body and the generation of substrate traction forces. To gain insight into the interplay of the different processes we use substoichiometric concentrations of cytochalasin D which disrupts the lammelipodial protrusion by inhibiting the actin polymerization. The time dependence of the velocity and the area of fish keratocytes for different concentrations of cytochalasin D will be evaluated and discussed.