Berlin 2008 – wissenschaftliches Programm
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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 24: Actin Dynamics
BP 24.5: Vortrag
Donnerstag, 28. Februar 2008, 15:30–15:45, C 243
Actin dynamics in SCAR-deficient cells — Hellen Ishikawa-Ankerhold1, Till Bretschneider1, Günther Gerisch1, Annette Müller-Taubenberger1,2, Robert Insall3, Eberhard Bodenschatz4, and •Carsten Beta5,4 — 1MPI für Biochemie, Martinsried, Germany — 2Institut für Zellbiologie, LMU München, Germany — 3School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, UK — 4MPI fuer Dynamik und Selbstorg., Goettingen, Germany — 5Institut fuer Physik, Universitaet Potsdam, Germany
The dynamical properties of the actin cytoskeleton provide the basis for motility, phagocytosis, and division of eukaryotic cells. Directed polymerization of actin in the cell cortex has been identified as the underlying source of force generation. A key player in the formation of a dense cortical actin network is the seven-subunit Arp2/3 complex that initiates the nucleation of branches on existing filaments. Its activity is controlled by SCAR/WAVE proteins of the WASp (Wiscott-Aldrich Syndrome protein) family that are downstream effectors of receptor-mediated signalling pathways. Here we analyze the temporal patterns of actin polymerization in the cortex of mutant cells lacking members of the pentameric SCAR complex. The results highlight the actin machinery as a self-organizing system that can be described by the concepts of non-equilibrium dynamics. We furthermore report evidence that the cortical dynamics is linked to the chemosensory pathway, so that receptor signals are transmitted to the actin system, even if SCAR is missing.