Pattern formation in the actin cortex of motile cells

A11 aims at understanding the molecular and cytoskeleton dynamics of migrating eukaryotic cells with focus on the biomechanical processes that determine cell shape dynamics. To date details of bio-mechanical and bio-chemical processes controlling pseudopodia and the intracellular cytoskeletal dynamics that include activators of actin polymerization in cooperation with myosin II motors remain elusive. With microfluidic devices, advanced high-speed and high-resolution optical microscopy, x-ray imaging and nano-diffraction techniques we shall continue our investigations of the signaling dynamics and the reorganization of cytoskeletal biopolymers in the cell cortex.