Regensburg 2025 – wissenschaftliches Programm
Bereiche | Tage | Auswahl | Suche | Aktualisierungen | Downloads | Hilfe
CPP: Fachverband Chemische Physik und Polymerphysik
CPP 25: Poster: Active Matter, Soft Matter, Fluids (joint session DY/CPP)
CPP 25.13: Poster
Mittwoch, 19. März 2025, 10:00–12:00, P3
Coupling reaction-diffusion and locomotion in vegetative cells — •Blaž Ivšić1, Piotr Nowakowski2, Igor Weber2, and Ana Sunčana Smith3, 2 — 1Institut za fiziku, Zagreb, Croatia — 2Institut Ruđer Bošković, Zagreb, Croatia — 3Friedrich-Alexander- Universität, Erlangen, Germany
Cellular locomotion involves the dynamic interplay between signaling molecules, cytoskeletal activity, and membrane deformation. We present a computational model coupling protein Rac1 reactiondiffusion dynamics to cell locomotion to study vegetative state of amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum. Rac1 regulates actin polymerization via effectors like WASP and Arp2/3, while GAP modulates its activity. The model captures Rac1 dynamics on a deforming membrane, reproducing experimentally observed spatiotemporal patterns.
Cell shape is modeled using a Level-set method to track membrane dynamics, driven by forces linked to Rac1 concentration. Specifically, surface tension and normal forces (due to interaction of the cell with the substrate) proportional to Rac1 concentration influence membrane movement. The dynamics are conveyed through a fluid velocity field obtained by solving a time-dependent Stokes equation.
Our model replicates Rac1 activity patterns seen in live-cell imaging and links these patterns to cell motility. By bridging Rac1 reactiondiffusion dynamics with membrane mechanics, the model provides insights into the mechanisms of actin-driven locomotion in vegetative cells.
Keywords: Rac1 dynamics; Reaction-diffusion model; Cellular locomotion; Level-Set method; Dictyostelium discoideum