title: Actomyosin-driven left-right asymmetry: from molecular torques to chiral self organization.
abstract: Chirality or mirror asymmetry is a common theme in biology found in organismal body plans, tissue patterns and even in individual cells. In many cases the emergence of chirality is driven by actin cytoskeletal dynamics. Although it is well established that the actin cytoskeleton generates rotational forces at the molecular level, we are only beginning to understand how this can result in chiral behavior of the entire actin network in vivo. In this review, we will give an overview of actin driven chiralities across different length scales known until today. Moreover, we evaluate recent quantitative models demonstrating that chiral symmetry breaking of cells can be achieved by properly aligning molecular-scale torque generation processes in the actomyosin cytoskeleton.
authors.affiliation: The Francis Crick Institute, 44 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A3LY, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Sundar Ram
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Naganathan
authors.affiliation: Biotechnology Center, Technical University Dresden, Tatzberg 47/49, 01307 Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Teije C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Middelkoop
authors.affiliation: Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University, New York, NY 10012, USA; Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fürthauer
authors.affiliation: Biotechnology Center, Technical University Dresden, Tatzberg 47/49, 01307 Dresden, Germany; Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Pfotenhauerstrasse 108, 01307 Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Stephan W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Grill
mesh_terms: D008841:Actin Cytoskeleton / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D000199:Actins / Q000378:metabolism; D000205:Actomyosin / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D013237:Stereoisomerism; D019415:Torque
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D000205:Actomyosin