Intracellular pressure is a motive force for cell motion inAmoeba proteus

Abstract

The cortical filament layer of free‐living amoebae contains concentrated actomyosin, suggesting that it can contract and produce an internal hydrostatic pressure. We report here on direct and dynamic intracellular pressure (Pic) measurements in Amoeba proteus made using the servo‐null technique. In resting apolar A. proteus, Pic increased while the cells remained immobile and at apparently constant volume. Pic then decreased approximately coincident with pseudopod formation. There was a positive correlation between Pic at the onset of movement and the rate of pseudopod formation. These results are the first direct evidence that hydrostatic pressure may be a motive force for cell motion. We postulate that contractile elements in the amoeba's cortical layer contract and increase Pic and that this Pic is utilized to overcome the viscous flow resistance of the intracellular contents during pseudopod formation. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

Cell migration and division in amoeboid-like fission yeast

“…2A; supplementary material Movie 4) (Webb and Horwitz, 2003; Yanai et al, 1996). Cells were observed to move across the agar for distances exceeding many cell lengths.…”

“…In animal cells, membrane detachment from the actin cortex, or local rupture of actin meshwork, induces the formation of cell protrusions or blebs (Charras et al, 2005; Diz-Muñoz et al, 2010; Tinevez et al, 2009). Blebbing induced by hydrostatic pressure has been proposed to be the driving force for movement of amoeboid (Langridge and Kay, 2006; Yanai et al, 1996; Yoshida and Soldati, 2006), embryonic cells (Blaser et al, 2006; Jaglarz and Howard, 1995) and also for tumor cell invasion (Charras and Paluch, 2008; Friedl and Wolf, 2003; Sahai and Marshall, 2003; Wolf et al, 2003). …”

The molecular mechanisms of transition between mesenchymal and amoeboid invasiveness in tumor cells

“…In contrast to the mesenchymal mode of invasion, in the amoeboid-like migration, the contractile cortical actomyosin network is crucial for the generation of the motive force [28, 31]. The submembranous actin is attached to the membrane by linking proteins from the 4.1 band superfamily—ezrin, radixin, and moesin (reviewed in [32]).…”

Pulsed-laser creation and characterization of giant plasma membrane vesicles from cells

“…These natural GPMVs are reversible and triggered by a protein-mediated, temporary, asymmetric loss of cortical actin integrity and are later retracted back into the cell [4,[11][12][13][14][15]. In contrast, irreversible GPMVs may result from a burn, blunt trauma, hypoxia, inflammation, poison, or infection when a sudden stress induces cortical actin and plasma membrane separation [2,[5][6][7][16][17][18][19][20][21]. These irreversible GPMVs are an uncontrolled cellular response, are associated with necrosis, and are occasionally called cell blisters [18,19,22].…”