A coarse-grained approach to model the dynamics of the actomyosin cortex

BMC Biology

Maria D. Martín-Bermudo¹  Andrea Valencia-Expósito¹  Antonio López-Izquierdo²  Pau Casanova-Ferrer²  Miguel Hernández-del-Valle²  David G. Míguez²  Pedro Tarazona³ 

[1] Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo, Universidad Pablo de Olavide/CSIC/JA;Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid;IFIMAC, Fac. de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid;

关键词: Actomyosin;    Coarse-grained;    Oscillations;    Cytoskeleton;    Mathematical models;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12915-022-01279-2

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Abstract Background The dynamics of the actomyosin machinery is at the core of many important biological processes. Several relevant cellular responses such as the rhythmic compression of the cell cortex are governed, at a mesoscopic level, by the nonlinear interaction between actin monomers, actin crosslinkers, and myosin motors. Coarse-grained models are an optimal tool to study actomyosin systems, since they can include processes that occur at long time and space scales, while maintaining the most relevant features of the molecular interactions. Results Here, we present a coarse-grained model of a two-dimensional actomyosin cortex, adjacent to a three-dimensional cytoplasm. Our simplified model incorporates only well-characterized interactions between actin monomers, actin crosslinkers and myosin, and it is able to reproduce many of the most important aspects of actin filament and actomyosin network formation, such as dynamics of polymerization and depolymerization, treadmilling, network formation, and the autonomous oscillatory dynamics of actomyosin. Conclusions We believe that the present model can be used to study the in vivo response of actomyosin networks to changes in key parameters of the system, such as alterations in the attachment of actin filaments to the cell cortex.

【 授权许可】

Unknown