Cell “Quakes” May Help Cells Respond to the Outside World
Animal cells get their structural integrity from their cytoskeleton, a shapeshifting mesh of filaments inside a cell that helps the cell organize its structure and communicate with its environment. A few years ago, scientists noticed that parts of the cytoskeleton would occasionally rearrange very rapidly, causing an earthquake-like disturbance in part of the cell. They named these disturbances cytoquakes, but no one understood how or why they happened.
New computer simulations developed by University of Maryland researchers reveal that these cytoquakes are caused by the slow buildup and sudden release of mechanical energy within the cell. The researchers believe the quakes may help the cell respond rapidly to signals from the outside environment, like chemicals produced by other cells or hormones in the bloodstream.
The research appears in the October 4, 2021, issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
“Cytoquakes represent a sudden remodeling of a very important component of the cell, but the physics behind them really wasn’t known,” said Garegin Papoian, a co-author of the study who is the Monroe Martin Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry with a joint appointment in the Institute for Physical Science and Technology at the University of Maryland. “We think these cytoquakes must be biologically important because the cytoskeleton is involved in so many functions within the cell. Understanding the physics behind them can provide insight into how cells work.”
