Title | Cell Membranes Resist Flow. |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2018 |
Authors | Shi, Z, Graber, ZT, Baumgart, T, Stone, HA, Cohen, AE |
Journal | Cell |
Volume | 175 |
Issue | 7 |
Pagination | 1769-1779.e13 |
Date Published | 2018 Dec 13 |
ISSN | 1097-4172 |
Keywords | Animals, Cell Membrane, Cytoskeleton, Dogs, HeLa Cells, Humans, Ion Channels, Madin Darby Canine Kidney Cells, Mice, Models, Biological, NIH 3T3 Cells, Rats, Signal Transduction |
Abstract | <p>The fluid-mosaic model posits a liquid-like plasma membrane, which can flow in response to tension gradients. It is widely assumed that membrane flow transmits local changes in membrane tension across the cell in milliseconds, mediating long-range signaling. Here, we show that propagation of membrane tension occurs quickly in cell-attached blebs but is largely suppressed in intact cells. The failure of tension to propagate in cells is explained by a fluid dynamical model that incorporates the flow resistance from cytoskeleton-bound transmembrane proteins. Perturbations to tension propagate diffusively, with a diffusion coefficient D ∼0.024 μm/s in HeLa cells. In primary endothelial cells, local increases in membrane tension lead only to local activation of mechanosensitive ion channels and to local vesicle fusion. Thus, membrane tension is not a mediator of long-range intracellular signaling, but local variations in tension mediate distinct processes in sub-cellular domains.</p> |
DOI | 10.1016/j.cell.2018.09.054 |
Alternate Journal | Cell |
PubMed ID | 30392960 |
PubMed Central ID | PMC6541487 |
Grant List | / HHMI_ / Howard Hughes Medical Institute / United States R01 GM097552 / GM / NIGMS NIH HHS / United States U54 CA193417 / CA / NCI NIH HHS / United States |