Recent research from our team at the University of Maryland has uncovered promising developments. The cell cytoskeleton exhibits critical phenomena analogous to that observed in earthquake and metal systems. This revolutionary research points the way toward a determination of the cytoskeleton’s self-organized criticality via the self-organization of purified protein constituents. These results, recently reported in Nature Physics, offer new insight into how cells control energy dissipation. They emphasize similarities between this procedure and the mechanics of Earth’s crust.
The research, led by graduate student Zachary Gao Sun, as well as Professors Michael Murrell and Garegin Papoian. They argue that the biometric technology of the subcellular machinery, the cell cytoskeleton, is in crisis mode. This criticality allows the cytoskeleton to be dramatically stable while remaining dynamic. It’s like flipping a switch of a kind on a metal’s movement from a highly conductive state to an insulating state, radically changing the flow of information and energy.
Mechanisms of Self-Organization
The study sheds new light on complex biology of the cell cytoskeleton, which acts like an earthquake-prone territory. This self-organized criticality found in cells allows a perpetual self-regulation of energy dissipation and information flux. Through the careful modification of cytoskeletal autofeedback through geometry and active stress, the cytoskeleton is able to coordinate these essential processes with aplomb.
The investigation uncovers formins (mDia1) and Arp2/3 nucleated F-actin networks as key components driving this self-organization. These networks govern many important processes, including the flow of energy and information through cells.
“Whether the cell as machinery is being poised at a critical state, and further, how, have been the central topics for some biophysicists in the past two decades. Here, we have observed phenomena in a well-controlled experimental setting, and proposed the mechanism. Isn’t it amazing to see similarities across scale objects under the microscope to the telescope?”
Learnings from the cell cytoskeleton will act as the Earth’s crust. It always cuts energy expenditure and information flow in complex systems. Similar to the way tectonic plates rubbing against each other create powerful earthquakes, the cytoskeletal components are in constant kinetic motion through explosive interactions that determine cellular performance.
Parallels with Earth’s Crust and Metal Systems
This study highlights a fascinating effect called Anderson localization, usually found in messy metals and insulators. The cell cytoskeleton’s capacity to demonstrate this effect represents an extraordinary crossover from dead matter to living crusaders. F-actin arrangement and active stress inside cells regulates this criticality and directs how energy localization processes take place.
It has been the research passion of biophysicists for more than two decades to understand how the cell cytoskeleton behaves. Their curiosity powered decades of scientific investigation into its mechanical properties. This study provides an important new element to that picture. It ties the underlying dynamics of biological systems to principles in the geological and material sciences. The ramifications extend well past the realm of cellular mechanics. In addition, they open the door for investigating similar principles in other physical systems.
Implications for Biophysics
Biophysicists are still working to understand these interactions. Their findings could help direct translational research into cellular behaviors, with significant implications for bioengineering and medical sciences.
As biophysicists continue to investigate these interactions, the insights generated could inform future research on cellular behavior and its applications in fields such as bioengineering and medical sciences.
