title: Autocatalytic polymerization generates persistent random walk of crawling cells.
abstract: The autocatalytic polymerization kinetics of the cytoskeletal actin network provides the basic mechanism for a persistent random walk of a crawling cell. It is shown that network remodeling by branching processes near the cell membrane is essential for the bimodal spatial stability of the network which induces a spontaneous breaking of isotropic cell motion. Details of the phenomena are analyzed using a simple polymerization model studied by analytical and simulation methods.
authors.affiliation: Forum Modellierung, Forschungszentrum Jülich, D-52425 Jülich, Germany.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sambeth
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baumgaertner
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D008954:Models, Biological
chemical_list: D000199:Actins