Reconstruction of active regular motion in amoeba extract: dynamic cooperation between sol and gel states

PLoS One. 2013 Aug 5;8(8):e70317. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0070317. Print 2013.

Abstract

Amoeboid locomotion is one of the typical modes of biological cell migration. Cytoplasmic sol-gel conversion of an actomyosin system is thought to play an important role in locomotion. However, the mechanisms underlying sol-gel conversion, including trigger, signal, and regulating factors, remain unclear. We developed a novel model system in which an actomyosin fraction moves like an amoeba in a cytoplasmic extract. Rheological study of this model system revealed that the actomyosin fraction exhibits shear banding: the sol-gel state of actomyosin can be regulated by shear rate or mechanical force. Furthermore, study of the living cell indicated that the shear-banding property also causes sol-gel conversion with the same order of magnitude as that of shear rate. Our results suggest that the inherent sol-gel transition property plays an essential role in the self-regulation of autonomous translational motion in amoeba.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amoeba / physiology*
  • Amoeba / ultrastructure
  • Locomotion / physiology
  • Microscopy, Electron, Transmission

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the JSPS Research Fellowship for Young Scientists from the Japan Society for Promotion of Science, the JSPS Core-to-Core Program “Non-equilibrium dynamics of soft matter and information” and the Scientific Research on Innovative Areas to SS. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.