Regensburg 2022 – wissenschaftliches Programm
Bereiche | Tage | Auswahl | Suche | Aktualisierungen | Downloads | Hilfe
BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 10: Cell Adhesion and Multicellular Systems
BP 10.5: Vortrag
Dienstag, 6. September 2022, 11:15–11:30, H13
The advantage of network topology in avoidance reaction — •Siyu Chen1, Jean-Daniel Julien1, and Karen Alim1,2 — 1Max-Planck-Institut für Dyanmik und Selbstorgansiation, Göttingen — 2Physics Department and CPA, Technische Universität München, München
The unicellular slime mould Physarum polycephalum stands out among other unicellular organisms for having a network-shaped body. Which advantage does a network structure provide when facing a challenging environment with adverse conditions? We, here, follow how network topology impacts P. polycephalum’s avoidance response to adverse blue light. We stimulate either an elongated amoeboid or a simple Y-shaped networked specimen and quantify the retraction velocity of the light-exposed body part. The result shows that Y-shaped specimen can complete the avoidance retraction without increasing the migration velocity, while an elongated amoeboid requires bursts of higher velocities - an energetically costly expense. Our theoretical predictions suggest that a light-triggered change in cytoplasm viscosity may account for the difference in response, as the more complex topology of a network allows P. polycephalum to maintain large flows that enable quick retraction out of the blue light. The difference in the retraction behaviour suggest the complexity of network topology provides a key advantage in dealing with adverse environments. Our findings could lead to the better understanding of the evolutionary transition from unicellular to multicellularity.