Dresden 2009 – wissenschaftliches Programm
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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 10: Biofluiddynamics
BP 10.9: Vortrag
Dienstag, 24. März 2009, 16:15–16:30, HÜL 186
Hydrodynamic description of cortical dynamics in the C. elegans zygote — •Justin Bois1,2, Martin Depken1,2, Mirjam Mayer2, Frank Jülicher1, and Stephan Grill1,2 — 1Max Planck Institute for Physics of Complex Systems, Dresden, Germany — 2Max Planck Institute for Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany
Establishment of cell polarity in the early stages of embryonic development is necessary for unequal cell division and a prerequisite for differentiation in developing organisms. In the zygote of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, the acto-myosin cortex plays a critical role in polarity establishment. A local down-regulation of myosin activity at the posterior of the zygote triggers directed cortical flow toward the anterior. As the structure and dynamics of the cortex are poorly understood at the microscopic level, we use a coarse hydrodynamic description of the cortex to determine what essential bulk properties are necessary for observed macroscopic flow behavior. We find that on the time scale of the flows, the cortex may be modeled as a viscous fluid that consumes energy through ATP hydrolysis. This simple description gives flow profiles that agree with experimental measurements, suggesting that while they may have other biological significance, more detailed microstructural features are not essential for establishment of cortical flow.