Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
should not only focus on the polymerization process, but on friction and de-
polymerization as well. Another message is that, even if the
Listeria
propulsion
mechanism can be, in some way, representative of the biochemistry involved in
more complex Eukaryotic cells, the physics of it will be very different for two
simple reasons. First, the stress distribution will be very different because the
gel is now produced in the inside of a topologically spherical object, and sec-
ond the tangential friction is very different because it is on a fluid membrane.
Yet, what we learn here will be very useful for understanding cell motility. In
particular, there are indications that mechanical instability of the acto-myosin
cytoskeleton also play a major role in symmetry-breaking and polarization of
cellular systems [49]. At last, what we find most rewarding, is the potential
importance of the bio-mimetic approach for medical applications [50, 51].
Acknowledgements
This review is an updated version of [6].
