Difference between revisions of "CometWiki"
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Cells in our body use [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actin actin] to move. Unlike the actin-myosin interaction that produces muscle movement, this kind of movement is on a much smaller scale---the scale of individual cells---and allows, for example, neurons to migrate and wire up to the right part of the brain, and cells in our immune system to track down and engulf bacteria. To achieve this movement, cells lay down actin polymer networks that produce force. | Cells in our body use [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actin actin] to move. Unlike the actin-myosin interaction that produces muscle movement, this kind of movement is on a much smaller scale---the scale of individual cells---and allows, for example, neurons to migrate and wire up to the right part of the brain, and cells in our immune system to track down and engulf bacteria. To achieve this movement, cells lay down actin polymer networks that produce force. | ||
| − | One popular way to study how our cells use actin to produce force and move is using a simplified system ---actin-based bead motility---which recreates motility ''in vitro''. In this system, we coat a bead with proteins that normally tell the cell to polymerize actin, then put the bead a solution similar to that inside of the cell, which causes an actin network to build around the bead. Surprisingly, even when the bead is spherically symmetric, rather than just building a symmetric shell that gets bigger and bigger, it moves off in 'comet tail' of actin. This bead motility simulator aims to help us understand how this process works. | + | One popular way to study how our cells use actin to produce force and move is using a simplified system---actin-based bead motility---which recreates motility ''in vitro''. In this system, we coat a bead with proteins that normally tell the cell to polymerize actin, then put the bead a solution similar to that inside of the cell, which causes an actin network to build around the bead. Surprisingly, even when the bead is spherically symmetric, rather than just building a symmetric shell that gets bigger and bigger, it moves off in 'comet tail' of actin. This bead motility simulator aims to help us understand how this process works. |
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Revision as of 17:47, 26 July 2009
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This wiki describes the set up and usage of `comet', an actin-based bead motility simulator. IntroductionCells in our body use actin to move. Unlike the actin-myosin interaction that produces muscle movement, this kind of movement is on a much smaller scale---the scale of individual cells---and allows, for example, neurons to migrate and wire up to the right part of the brain, and cells in our immune system to track down and engulf bacteria. To achieve this movement, cells lay down actin polymer networks that produce force. One popular way to study how our cells use actin to produce force and move is using a simplified system---actin-based bead motility---which recreates motility in vitro. In this system, we coat a bead with proteins that normally tell the cell to polymerize actin, then put the bead a solution similar to that inside of the cell, which causes an actin network to build around the bead. Surprisingly, even when the bead is spherically symmetric, rather than just building a symmetric shell that gets bigger and bigger, it moves off in 'comet tail' of actin. This bead motility simulator aims to help us understand how this process works. |
Essential InformationHow the program worksInstalling the program
Running the programThe program is called from the command line. The command line parameters tell the program what to do (calculate a new run, re-process existing data, interactive 3D view etc.). A |
Simulator OutputExample Results
Model RobustnessIn Vitro
In Depth InformationInner workings of the codeMaking Measurments |
