Dresden 2014 – wissenschaftliches Programm

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 31: Cell adhesion, mechanics and migration II

BP 31.1: Topical Talk

Mittwoch, 2. April 2014, 17:00–17:30, ZEU 250

Active torque generation by the actomyosin cortex — •Stephan Grill — BIOTEC, TU Dresden, Germany — MPI-PKS Dresden, Germany — MPI-CBG Dresden, Germany

Many developmental processes break left/right symmetry with a consistent handedness, which requires cellular processes that are chirally asymmetric. Here we describe a novel process of active torque-generation in the actomyosin cortex. We present evidence that active torques drive chiral counter-rotating cortical flow in the polarizing Caenorhabditis elegans zygote, depend on myosin activity, and can be specifically altered through changes in cortical structure and dynamics. Notably, genes that affect the establishment of the C. elegans left/right body axis also control active torques. Our work suggests that actomyosin-based cell chirality provides a fundamental mechanism for chiral morphogenesis in development.