Myosin-independent amoeboid cell motility

Abstract

Mammalian cell polarization and motility are important processes involved in many physiological and pathological phenomena, such as embryonic development, wound healing, and cancer metastasis. The traditional view of mammalian cell motility suggests that molecular motors, adhesion, and cell deformation are all necessary components for mammalian cell movement. However, experiments on immune system cells have shown that the inhibition of molecular motors does not significantly affect cell motility. We present a new theory and simulations demonstrating that actin polymerization alone is sufficient to induce spontaneously cell polarity accompanied by the retrograde flow. These findings provide a new understanding of the fundamental mechanisms of cell movement and at the same time provide a simple mechanism for cell motility in diverse configurations, e.g. on an adherent substrate, in a non-adherent matrix, or in liquids.