Schedule
Nov 06, 2002
Crawling Cells & Comet Tails
Dr. Julie Theriot, Stanford
http://cmgm.stanford.edu/theriot/
The shapes and movements of eukaryotic cells depend on the dynamic
organization of filamentous protein polymers, collectively called
the "cytoskeleton". Actin is the most abundant of the
cytoskeletal proteins, a small globular protein that can self-
associate to form helical filaments thousands of subunits in
length. Polymerizing networks of actin filaments are capable of
exerting significant mechanical forces. Certain intracellular
bacterial pathogens, including the food-poisoning agent Listeria
monocytogenes, have developed the ability to induce the
polymerization of human host cell actin filaments on their
surfaces and to harness the resulting force for efficient intra-
and intercellular spread of the infection. Moving bacteria are
associated with a characteristic actin structure that resembles
the tail of a comet. We have reconstituted comet tail formation
in a physically manipulable artificial system and are
investigating the mechanism of force generation in this form of
biological motility.
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