title: Design Principles of Length Control of Cytoskeletal Structures.
abstract: Cells contain elaborate and interconnected networks of protein polymers, which make up the cytoskeleton. The cytoskeleton governs the internal positioning and movement of vesicles and organelles and controls dynamic changes in cell polarity, shape, and movement. Many of these processes require tight control of the size and shape of cytoskeletal structures, which is achieved despite rapid turnover of their molecular components. Here we review mechanisms by which cells control the size of filamentous cytoskeletal structures, from the point of view of simple quantitative models that take into account stochastic dynamics of their assembly and disassembly. Significantly, these models make experimentally testable predictions that distinguish different mechanisms of length control. Although the primary focus of this review is on cytoskeletal structures, we believe that the broader principles and mechanisms discussed herein will apply to a range of other subcellular structures whose sizes are tightly controlled and are linked to their functions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02454; email: kondev@brandeis.edu.
authors.forename: Lishibanya
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mohapatra
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology and Rosenstiel Basic Medical Sciences Research Center, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02454.
authors.forename: Bruce L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Goode
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027.
authors.forename: Predrag
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jelenkovic
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Physics and Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125.
authors.forename: Rob
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02454; email: kondev@brandeis.edu.
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kondev
mesh_terms: D008841:Actin Cytoskeleton / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D000818:Animals; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D008870:Microtubules / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure
keywords: actin filaments; living polymers; master equation; microtubules; organelle size