Abstract
Cell motility is driven primarily by the dynamics of the cell cytoskeleton, a system of filamentous proteins and molecular motors. It has been proposed that cell motility is a self-organized process, that is, local short-range interactions determine much of the dynamics that are required for the whole-cell organization that leads to polarization and directional motion. Here we present a mesoscopic mean-field description of filaments, motors, and cell boundaries. This description gives rise to a dynamical system that exhibits multiple self-organized states. We discuss several qualitative aspects of the asymptotic states and compare them with those of living cells.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1738-1745 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Biophysical journal |
Volume | 102 |
Issue number | 8 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Apr 18 2012 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biophysics