Regensburg 2007 – wissenschaftliches Programm

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 23: Cell Motility and Migration (in vitro and in vivo)

BP 23.9: Vortrag

Donnerstag, 29. März 2007, 16:15–16:30, H43

driving forces in cell motility, motors versus polymerization — •Claudia Brunner, Michael Gögler, Allen Ehrlicher, and Josef Käs — Universität Leipzig, Linnestr 5, 04103 Leipzig

A cell's ability to move is fundamental for various functions in nature, such as morphogenesis, immune response, and the invasiveness of cancer. On the molecular level, actin polymerization and molecular motors, such as myosin, are involved in cell motility but the mechanism as a whole is not very well understood. Here we present direct measurements of the forward forces generated at the leading edge of the lamellipodium and at the cell body of rapidly translocating fish keratocytes. Our SFM-based technique uses the vertical and lateral deflection of the cantilever to directly measure the maximal forward force of whole cells by stalling them. Through selective manipulation of molecular components by addition of different drugs, the stall forces and the velocity correlation can be compared to elucidate the importance of different force generating processes, such as polymerization and molecular motors.