A geometrical theory of gliding motility based on cell shape and surface flow

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Lettermanna, Leon; Zieberta, Falko; Schwarz, Ulrich S.
• 署名单位: Ruprecht Karls University Heidelberg; Ruprecht Karls University Heidelberg
• 刊物名称: PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0027-10456
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2410708121/-/DCSupplemental
• 发表日期: 2024-07-19
• 关键词: mechanisms; MOVEMENT; invasion; drives; motors; MODEL

摘要

Gliding motility proceeds with little changes in cell shape and often results from actively driven surface flows of adhesins binding to the extracellular environment. It allows for fast movement over surfaces or through tissue, especially for the eukaryotic parasites from the phylum apicomplexa, which includes the causative agents of the widespread diseases malaria and toxoplasmosis. We have developed a fully three-dimensional active particle theory which connects the self-organized, actively driven surface flow over a fixed cell shape to the resulting global motility patterns. Our analytical solutions and numerical simulations show that straight motion without rotation is unstable for simple shapes and that straight cell shapes tend to lead to pure rotations. This suggests that the curved shapes of Plasmodium sporozoites and Toxoplasma tachyzoites are evolutionary adaptations to avoid rotations without translation. Gliding motility is also used by certain myxo- or flavobacteria, which predominantly move on flat external surfaces and with higher control of cell surface flow through internal tracks. We extend our theory for these cases. We again find a competition between rotation and translation and predict the effect of internal track geometry on overall forward speed. While specific mechanisms might vary across species, in general, our geometrical theory predicts and explains the rotational, circular, and helical trajectories which are commonly observed for microgliders. Our theory could also be used to design synthetic microgliders.