Open AccessA bio-chemo-mechanical model for cell contractility
Author(s) -
V.S. Deshpande,
Robert M. McMeeking,
A.G. Evans
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.0605837103
Subject(s) - contractility , actin , myosin , cytoskeleton , biophysics , tension (geology) , actin cytoskeleton , focal adhesion , stress fiber , cell , chemistry , materials science , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , biochemistry , composite material , compression (physics) , endocrinology
A general model for the contractility of cells is presented that accounts for the dynamic reorganization of the cytoskeleton. The model is motivated by three key biochemical processes: (i ) an activation signal that triggers actin polymerization and myosin phosphorylation, (ii ) the tension-dependent assembly of the actin and myosin into stress fibers, and (iii ) the cross-bridge cycling between the actin and myosin filaments that generates the tension. Simple relations are proposed to model these coupled phenomena and a continuum model developed for simulating cell contractility. The model is capable of predicting key experimentally established characteristics including: (i ) the decrease in the forces generated by the cell with increasing substrate compliance, (ii ) the influence of cell shape and boundary conditions on the development of structural anisotropy, and (iii ) the high concentration of the stress fibers at the focal adhesions. We present numerical examples of a square cell on four supports to demonstrate these capabilities.