Kinneret Keren, The Technion
A central challenge in cell motility research is to quantitatively understand
how numerous molecular building blocks self-organize to achieve coherent shape
and movement on cellular scales. We focus on one of the classic examples of such
self-organization, namely lamellipodial motility, in which forward translocation
is driven by an actin network which assembles at the front and disassembles
towards the rear. We combine detailed measurements of lamellipodial morphology,
spatio-temporal actin dynamics and membrane tension, with mathematical modelling
to explain how global shape and speed of the lamellipodium emerge from the
underlying assembly and disassembly dynamics of the actin network within an
inextensible membrane bag.