A steepest descent approximation scheme is derived for a recently developed model for the dynamics of the actin cytoskeleton in the lamellipodia of living cells. The scheme is used as a numerical method for the simulation of thought experiments, where a lamellipodial fragment is pushed by a pipette, and subsequently changes its shape and position.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00285-011-0421-9 | DOI Listing |
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
January 2024
Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712.
Cellular remodeling of actin networks underlies cell motility during key morphological events, from embryogenesis to metastasis. In these transformations, there is an inherent competition between actin branching and bundling, because steric clashes among branches create a mechanical barrier to bundling. Recently, liquid-like condensates consisting purely of proteins involved in either branching or bundling of the cytoskeleton have been found to catalyze their respective functions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFbioRxiv
June 2023
University of Texas at Austin, Department of Biomedical Engineering.
Cellular remodeling of actin networks underlies cell motility during key morphological events, from embryogenesis to metastasis. In these transformations there is an inherent competition between actin branching and bundling, because steric clashes among branches create a mechanical barrier to bundling. Recently, liquid-like condensates consisting purely of proteins involved in either branching or bundling of the cytoskeleton have been found to catalyze their respective functions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Rep
April 2023
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Texas at San Antonio, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, TX, 78249, USA.
Wounds in the epithelium may lead to serious injurious events or chronic inflammatory diseases, however, multicellular organisms have the ability to self-repair wounds through the movement of epithelial cell toward the wound area. Despite intensive studies exploring the mechanism of wound closure, the role of mechanics in epithelial wound closure is still not well explained. In order to investigate the role of mechanical properties on wound closure process, a three-dimensional continuum physics-based computational model is presented in this study.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiomater Adv
January 2023
Nano Fusion Technology Research Group, Institute for Fiber Engineering (IFES), Interdisciplinary Cluster for Cutting Edge Research (ICCER), Shinshu University, Tokida 3-15-1, Ueda, Nagano 386-8567, Japan. Electronic address:
The use of artificial biomaterial with enhanced bioactivity for osteostimulation is a major research concern at present days. In this research, antibacterial and osteostimulative core-shell lignin nanoparticles (LgNP) were synthesized from alkali lignin using tetrahydrofuran (THF) as solvent via a simultaneous pH and solvent shifting technology. Later, LgNP-loaded polycaprolactone (PCL) composite nanofibers were fabricated via the electrospinning technique.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProc Natl Acad Sci U S A
May 2022
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403.
Arp2/3 complex nucleates branched actin filaments that provide pushing forces to drive cellular processes such as lamellipodial protrusion and endocytosis. Arp2/3 complex is intrinsically inactive, and multiple classes of nucleation promoting factors (NPFs) stimulate its nucleation activity. When activated by WASP family NPFs, the complex must bind to the side of a preexisting (mother) filament of actin to complete the nucleation process, ensuring that WASP-mediated activation creates branched rather than linear actin filaments.
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