Cells as active particles in asymmetric potentials: motility under external gradients.
Fiche publication
Date publication
octobre 2014
Auteurs
Membres identifiés du Cancéropôle Est :
Pr RIVELINE Daniel
Tous les auteurs :
Comelles J, Caballero D, Voituriez R, Hortiguela V, Wollrab V, Godeau AL, Samitier J, Martinez E, Riveline D
Lien Pubmed
Résumé
Cell migration is a crucial event during development and in disease. Mechanical constraints and chemical gradients can contribute to the establishment of cell direction, but their respective roles remain poorly understood. Using a microfabricated topographical ratchet, we show that the nucleus dictates the direction of cell movement through mechanical guidance by its environment. We demonstrate that this direction can be tuned by combining the topographical ratchet with a biochemical gradient of fibronectin adhesion. We report competition and cooperation between the two external cues. We also quantitatively compare the measurements associated with the trajectory of a model that treats cells as fluctuating particles trapped in a periodic asymmetric potential. We show that the cell nucleus contributes to the strength of the trap, whereas cell protrusions guided by the adhesive gradients add a constant tunable bias to the direction of cell motion.
Référence
Biophys J. 2014 Oct 7;107(7):1513-22