title: Minimal systems to study membrane-cytoskeleton interactions.
abstract: In the context of minimal systems design, there are two areas in which the reductionist approach has been particularly successful: studies of molecular motors on cytoskeletal filaments, and of protein-lipid interactions in model membranes. However, a minimal cortex, that is, the interface between membrane and cytoskeleton, has just begun to be functionally reconstituted. A key property of living cells is their ability to change their shape in response to extracellular and intracellular stimuli. Although studied in live cells since decades, the mutual dependence between cytoskeleton and membrane dynamics in these large-scale transformations is still poorly understood. Here we report on inspiring recent in vitro work in this direction, and the promises it holds for a better understanding of key cellular processes.
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Department of Cellular and Molecular Biophysics, Am Klopferspitz 18, D-82152 Martinsried, Germany.
authors.forename: Sven K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Vogel
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schwille
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D058045:Artificial Cells; D032701:Biomimetics; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D008051:Lipid Bilayers / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D008081:Liposomes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D058615:Synthetic Biology
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D008051:Lipid Bilayers; D008081:Liposomes