TitleActomyosin pulsation and flows in an active elastomer with turnover and network remodeling.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2017
AuthorsBanerjee DSankar, Munjal A, Lecuit T, Rao M
JournalNat Commun
Volume8
Issue1
Pagination1121
Date Published2017 Oct 24
ISSN2041-1723
Abstract

Tissue remodeling requires cell shape changes associated with pulsation and flow of the actomyosin cytoskeleton. Here we describe the hydrodynamics of actomyosin as a confined active elastomer with turnover of its components. Our treatment is adapted to describe the diversity of contractile dynamical regimes observed in vivo. When myosin-induced contractile stresses are low, the deformations of the active elastomer are affine and exhibit spontaneous oscillations, propagating waves, contractile collapse and spatiotemporal chaos. We study the nucleation, growth and coalescence of actomyosin-dense regions that, beyond a threshold, spontaneously move as a spatially localized traveling front. Large myosin-induced contractile stresses lead to nonaffine deformations due to enhanced actin and crosslinker turnover. This results in a transient actin network that is constantly remodeling and naturally accommodates intranetwork flows of the actomyosin-dense regions. We verify many predictions of our study in Drosophila embryonic epithelial cells undergoing neighbor exchange during germband extension.

DOI10.1038/s41467-017-01130-1
Alternate JournalNat Commun
PubMed ID29066711