2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
Non-equilibrium mechanics of cellular symmetry and migratory principle by active gel physics
| Project/Area Number |
21K18605
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
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| Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
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| Review Section |
Medium-sized Section 13:Condensed matter physics and related fields
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| Research Institution | Kyushu University |
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Principal Investigator |
Maeda Yusuke 九州大学, 理学研究院, 准教授 (30557210)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2021-07-09 – 2024-03-31
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| Keywords | アクティブマター / 細胞骨格 / 人工細胞 / アクトミオシン / マイクロ流体デバイス |
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
Cells are complex molecular systems that can move and deform spontaneously, converting chemical energy into mechanical action. To do this, intracellular symmetry plays a key role in determining the axes of cell motility and division. In this study, we developed an artificial cell model that encapsulates a cell extract system containing the cytoskeletal protein actin and myosin molecular motor in cell-sized microdroplets to elucidate how intracellular symmetry is determined and how spontaneous cell migration and deformation arise.
We found an artificial cell that moves and deforms autonomously under mechanical constraints, just like a living cell. The periodic actin waves generated in the artificial cells can drive this migration, and the active gel theory developed in this study can explain the onset of such actin wave formation in a cell-sized space. This finding paves the way for understanding the mechanics of cell migration underlying dynamic intracellular symmetry.
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| Free Research Field |
ソフトマター物理学
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| Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements |
細胞運動は発生過程からガン細胞の転移に至る多くの生命現象に関わっている．本研究で構築した「運動する人工細胞」はそのシンプルさゆえに詳細な理解を可能としている．そのため, 人工細胞のモデル系を実験物理学の対象として確立することは，従来は隔たりがあったソフトマター物理学・細胞生物学・合成生物学を融合し，細胞内対称性の力学的理解と自在な制御の基礎となるものである．将来的には生体内を動く細胞や培養細胞の解析に応用することで，ガン細胞の浸潤を予測する医療シミュレーターなどの解析手法の創出につながると期待できる．
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