title: Cell-sized liposomes that mimic cell motility and the cell cortex.
abstract: Cells move and change shape by dynamically reorganizing their cytoskeleton next to the plasma membrane. In particular, actin assembly generates forces and stresses that deform the cell membrane. Cell-sized liposomes are designed to mimic this function. The activation of actin polymerization at their membrane is able to push the membrane forward, thus reproducing the mechanism of lamellipodium extension at the cell front. Moreover, the cell cortex, a submicrometer-thick actin shell right beneath the cell membrane can be reproduced; it contributes to cell tension with the action of molecular motors. We will describe experimental methods to prepare liposomes that mimic the inside geometry of a cell, and that reproduce actin-based propulsion of the liposome using an outside geometry. Such systems allow to study how actin-related proteins control and affect actin cortex assembly and can produce forces that drive cell shape changes.
authors.affiliation: Institut Curie, Centre de Recherche, Paris, France; CNRS, UMR168, Paris, France; UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR 168, Paris, France; Univ. Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France; Current address: Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Nanobiology Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Joël
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lemière
authors.affiliation: Institut Curie, Centre de Recherche, Paris, France; CNRS, UMR168, Paris, France; UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR 168, Paris, France; Univ. Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.affiliation: Institut Curie, Centre de Recherche, Paris, France; CNRS, UMR168, Paris, France; UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR 168, Paris, France; Univ. Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Cécile
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sykes
mesh_terms: D008841:Actin Cytoskeleton / Q000502:physiology*; D000199:Actins / Q000378:metabolism*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000502:physiology*; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000502:physiology; D008055:Lipids / Q000502:physiology; D008081:Liposomes / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D008055:Lipids; D008081:Liposomes
keywords: Actin; Actin polymerization; Actin-based forces; Biomimics; Cell shape; Liposome; Membrane; Membrane deformation; Reconstitution