- Physical Review Journals
All JournalsPhysics Magazine

Physical Review E

Export citation

Export citation

Choose format for download:

Download Citation
  • Editors' Suggestion

Crawling and turning in a minimal reaction-diffusion cell motility model: Coupling cell shape and biochemistry

Brian A. Camley1,*, Yanxiang Zhao2,*, Bo Li3, Herbert Levine4, and Wouter-Jan Rappel1

  • 1Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
  • 2Department of Mathematics, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
  • 3Department of Mathematics and Graduate Program in Quantitative Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
  • 4Department of Bioengineering, Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, USA

  • *Refer to the last sentence of the Acknowledgments.
PDF

Phys. Rev. E 95, 012401 – Published 5 January, 2017

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.95.012401

Abstract

We study a minimal model of a crawling eukaryotic cell with a chemical polarity controlled by a reaction-diffusion mechanism describing Rho GTPase dynamics. The size, shape, and speed of the cell emerge from the combination of the chemical polarity, which controls the locations where actin polymerization occurs, and the physical properties of the cell, including its membrane tension. We find in our model both highly persistent trajectories, in which the cell crawls in a straight line, and turning trajectories, where the cell transitions from crawling in a line to crawling in a circle. We discuss the controlling variables for this turning instability and argue that turning arises from a coupling between the reaction-diffusion mechanism and the shape of the cell. This emphasizes the surprising features that can arise from simple links between cell mechanics and biochemistry. Our results suggest that similar instabilities may be present in a broad class of biochemical descriptions of cell polarity.

View figure in article

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Authorization Required

We need you to provide your credentials before accessing this content.
Article Available via CHORUS
Download Accepted Manuscript

Other Options

References (Subscription Required)

Outline

Information

Phys. Rev. E 95, 012401– Published 5 January, 2017
  • Received 25 August 2016

©2017 American Physical Society

Sign In to Your Journals Account

Filter

Filter

Article Lookup

Enter a citation