Berlin 2012 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 2: Physics of Cells I

BP 2.1: Invited Talk

Monday, March 26, 2012, 09:30–10:00, H 1028

Membrane tension regulates motility by controlling lamellipodium organization — •Julie Plastino — Institut Curie, Paris, France

Many cell movements proceed via a crawling mechanism, where assembly of the cytoskeleton pushes out the leading edge membrane. In this scenario, membrane tension has been seen as an impediment to cytoskeleton polymerization and cell motility. Here we exploit a simple model of cell motility, the Caenorhabditis elegans sperm cell, and we apply osmotic and biochemical treatments that relax or tense the cell membrane, in order to test how membrane tension affects cytoskeleton dynamics and cell movement. Surprisingly, we find that membrane tension reduction is correlated with a decrease in cell displacement speed, whereas an increase in membrane tension enhances motility. We propose and show evidence for the idea that membrane tension optimizes motility by streamlining polymerization in the direction of movement, thus adding a layer of complexity to our current understanding of how membrane tension enters into the motility equation.