Self-organization of protrusions and polarity during eukaryotic chemotaxis

Abstract

Many eukaryotic cells regulate their polarity and motility in response to external chemical cues. While we know many of the linear connections that link receptors with downstream actin polymerization events, we have a much murkier understanding of the higher order positive and negative feedback loops that organize these processes in space and time. Importantly, physical forces and actin polymerization events do not simply act downstream of chemotactic inputs but are rather involved in a web of reciprocal interactions with signaling components to generate self-organizing pseudopods and cell polarity. Here we focus on recent progress and open questions in the field, including the basic unit of actin organization, how cells regulate the number and speed of protrusions, and 2D versus 3D migration.