title: Pushing off the walls: a mechanism of cell motility in confinement.
abstract: We propose a novel mechanism of cell motility, which relies on the coupling of actin polymerization at the cell membrane to geometric confinement. We consider a polymerizing viscoelastic cytoskeletal gel confined in a narrow channel, and show analytically that spontaneous motion occurs. Interestingly, this does not require specific adhesion with the channel walls, and yields velocities potentially larger than the polymerization velocity. The contractile activity of myosin motors is not necessary to trigger motility in this mechanism, but is shown quantitatively to increase the velocity. Our model qualitatively accounts for recent experiments which show that cells without specific adhesion proteins are motile only in confined environments while they are unable to move on a flat surface, and could help in understanding the mechanisms of cell migration in more complex confined geometries such as living tissues.
authors.affiliation: UMR 7600, Université Pierre et Marie Curie/CNRS, 4 Place Jussieu, 75255 Paris Cedex 05 France.
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Hawkins
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Piel
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Faure-Andre
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Lennon-Dumenil
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Joanny
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Prost
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Voituriez
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D004548:Elasticity; D008954:Models, Biological; D009218:Myosins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D014783:Viscosity
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D009218:Myosins