The cell cortex, a thin film of active material assembled below the cell membrane, plays a key role in cellular symmetry breaking processes such as cell polarity establishment and cell division. Here, we present a minimal model of the self-organization of the cell cortex that is based on a hydrodynamic theory of curved active surfaces. Active stresses on this surface are regulated by a diffusing molecular species. We show that coupling of the active surface to a passive bulk fluid enables spontaneous polarization and the formation of a contractile ring on the surface via mechano-chemical instabilities. We discuss the role of external fields in guiding such pattern formation. Our work reveals that key features of cellular symmetry breaking and cell division can emerge in a minimal model via general dynamic instabilities.
@article{arxiv.1909.12804,
title = {Minimal model of cellular symmetry breaking},
author = {Alexander Mietke and V. Jemseena and K. Vijay Kumar and Ivo F. Sbalzarini and Frank Jülicher},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1909.12804},
year = {2019}
}
Comments
Accepted for publication in Physical Review Letters (Sept 2019)