Skip to main content
Advertisement

Main menu

  • Home
  • Articles
    • Accepted manuscripts
    • Issue in progress
    • Latest complete issue
    • Issue archive
    • Archive by article type
    • Special issues
    • Subject collections
    • Cell Scientists to Watch
    • First Person
    • Sign up for alerts
  • About us
    • About JCS
    • Editors and Board
    • Editor biographies
    • Travelling Fellowships
    • Grants and funding
    • Journal Meetings
    • Workshops
    • The Company of Biologists
    • Journal news
  • For authors
    • Submit a manuscript
    • Aims and scope
    • Presubmission enquiries
    • Fast-track manuscripts
    • Article types
    • Manuscript preparation
    • Cover suggestions
    • Editorial process
    • Promoting your paper
    • Open Access
    • JCS Prize
    • Manuscript transfer network
    • Biology Open transfer
  • Journal info
    • Journal policies
    • Rights and permissions
    • Media policies
    • Reviewer guide
    • Sign up for alerts
  • Contacts
    • Contact JCS
    • Subscriptions
    • Advertising
    • Feedback
    • For library administrators
  • COB
    • About The Company of Biologists
    • Development
    • Journal of Cell Science
    • Journal of Experimental Biology
    • Disease Models & Mechanisms
    • Biology Open

User menu

  • Log in
  • Log out

Search

  • Advanced search
Journal of Cell Science
  • COB
    • About The Company of Biologists
    • Development
    • Journal of Cell Science
    • Journal of Experimental Biology
    • Disease Models & Mechanisms
    • Biology Open

supporting biologistsinspiring biology

Journal of Cell Science

  • Log in
Advanced search

RSS   Twitter  Facebook   YouTube  

  • Home
  • Articles
    • Accepted manuscripts
    • Issue in progress
    • Latest complete issue
    • Issue archive
    • Archive by article type
    • Special issues
    • Subject collections
    • Cell Scientists to Watch
    • First Person
    • Sign up for alerts
  • About us
    • About JCS
    • Editors and Board
    • Editor biographies
    • Travelling Fellowships
    • Grants and funding
    • Journal Meetings
    • Workshops
    • The Company of Biologists
    • Journal news
  • For authors
    • Submit a manuscript
    • Aims and scope
    • Presubmission enquiries
    • Fast-track manuscripts
    • Article types
    • Manuscript preparation
    • Cover suggestions
    • Editorial process
    • Promoting your paper
    • Open Access
    • JCS Prize
    • Manuscript transfer network
    • Biology Open transfer
  • Journal info
    • Journal policies
    • Rights and permissions
    • Media policies
    • Reviewer guide
    • Sign up for alerts
  • Contacts
    • Contact JCS
    • Subscriptions
    • Advertising
    • Feedback
    • For library administrators
Journal Articles
A mechanical function of myosin II in cell motility
P.Y. Jay, P.A. Pham, S.A. Wong, E.L. Elson
Journal of Cell Science 1995 108: 387-393;
P.Y. Jay
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
P.A. Pham
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
S.A. Wong
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
E.L. Elson
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • Info & metrics
  • PDF
Loading

Summary

Myosin II mutant Dictyostelium amoebae crawl more slowly than wild-type cells. Thus, myosin II must contribute to amoeboid locomotion. We propose that contractile forces generated by myosin II help the cell's rear edge to detach from the substratum and retract, allowing the cell to continue forward. To test this hypothesis, we measured the speed of wild-type and myosin II null mutant Dictyostelium cells on surfaces of varying adhesivity. As substratum adhesivity increased, the speed of myosin II null mutant cells decreased substantially compared to wild-type cells, suggesting that the mutant is less able to retract from sticky surfaces. Furthermore, interference reflection microscopy revealed a myosin-II-dependent contraction in wild-type but not null mutant cells that is consistent with a balance of adhesive and contractile forces in retraction. Although myosin II null mutant cells have a defect in retraction, pseudopod extension does not cause the cells to become elongated on sticky surfaces. This suggests a mechanism, based possibly on cytoskeletal tension, for regulating cell shape in locomotion. The tension would result from the transmission of tractional forces through the cytoskeletal network, providing the myosin II null mutant with a limited means of retraction and cell division on a surface.

  • © 1995 by Company of Biologists

REFERENCES

    1. Bell G. I.
    (1978). Models for the specific adhesion of cells to cells. Science 200, 618–627
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    1. Bray D. and
    2. White J. G.
    (1988). Cortical flow in animal cells. Science 239, 883–888
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    1. Chen W.-T.
    (1979). Induction of spreading during fibroblast movement. J. Cell Biol 81, 684–691
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    1. Chen W.-T.
    (1981). Mechanism of retraction of the trailing edge during fibroblast movement. J. Cell Biol 90, 187–200
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    1. DiMilla P. A.,
    2. Barbee K. and
    3. Lauffenburger D. A.
    (1991). Mathematical model for the effects of adhesion and mechanics on cell migration speed. Biophys. J 60, 15–37
    OpenUrlPubMedWeb of Science
    1. DiMilla P. A.,
    2. Stone J. A.,
    3. Quinn J. A.,
    4. Albelda S. M. and
    5. Lauffenburger D. A.
    (1993). Maximal migration of human smooth muscle cells on fibronectin and type IV collagen occurs at an intermediate attachment strength. J. Cell Biol 122, 729–737
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    1. Duband J.-L.,
    2. Dufour S.,
    3. Yamada S. S.,
    4. Yamada K. M. and
    5. Thiery J. P.
    (1991). Neural crest cell locomotion induced by antibodies to β1integrins: a tool for studying the roles of substratum molecular avidity and density in migration. J. Cell Sci 98, 517–532
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    1. Fukui Y.,
    2. De Lozanne A. and
    3. Spudich J. A.
    (1990). Structure and function of the cytoskeleton of a Dictyostelium myosin-defective mutant. J. Cell Biol 110, 367–378
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    1. Gingell D.,
    2. Todd I. and
    3. Owens N.
    (1982). Interaction between intracellular vacuoles and the cell surface analysed by finite aperture theory interference reflection microscopy. J. Cell Sci 54, 287–298
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    1. Gingell D. and
    2. Vince S.
    (1982). Substratum wettability and charge influence the spreading of Dictyostelium amoebae and the formation of ultrathin cytoplasmic lamellae. J. Cell Sci 54, 255–285
    OpenUrlAbstract
    1. Goodman S. L.,
    2. Risse G. and
    3. von der Mark K.
    (1989). The E8 subfragmentof laminin promotes locomotion of myoblasts over extracellular matrix. J. Cell Biol 109, 799–809
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    1. Hendey B.,
    2. Klee C. B. and
    3. Maxfield F. R.
    (1992). Inhibition of neutrophil chemokinesis on vitronectin by inhibitors of calcineurin. Science 258, 296–299
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    1. Heuser J.,
    2. Zhu Q. and
    3. Clarke M.
    (1993). Proton pumps populate the contractile vacuoles of Dictyostelium amoebae. J. Cell Biol 121, 1311–1327
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    1. Jay P. Y. and
    2. Elson E. L.
    (1992). Surface particle transport mechanism independent of myosin II in Dictyostelium. Nature 356, 438–440
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science
    1. Kolega J.
    (1986). Effects of mechanical tension on protrusive activity and microfilament and intermediate filament organization in an epidermal epithelium moving in culture. J. Cell Biol 102, 1400–1411
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    1. Kucik D. F.,
    2. Kuo S. C.,
    3. Elson E. L. and
    4. Sheetz M. P.
    (1991). Preferential attachment of membrane glycoproteins to the cytoskeleton at the leading edge of lamella. J. Cell Biol 114, 1029–1036
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    1. Kuo S. C. and
    2. Lauffenburger D. A.
    (1993). Relationship between receptor/ligand binding affinity and adhesion strength. Biophys. J 65, 2191–2200
    OpenUrlPubMed
    1. Manstein D. J.,
    2. Titus M. A.,
    3. De Lozanne A. and
    4. Spudich J. A.
    (1989). Gene replacement in Dictyostelium: generation of myosin null mutants. EMBO J 8, 923–932
    OpenUrlPubMedWeb of Science
    1. Nelson G. A.,
    2. Roberts T. M. and
    3. Ward S.
    (1982). Caenorhabditis elegans spermatazoan locomotion: amoeboid movement with almost no actin. J. Cell Biol 92, 121–131
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    1. Pasternak C.,
    2. Spudich J. A. and
    3. Elson E. L.
    (1989). Capping of surface receptors and concomitant cortical tension are generated by conventional myosin. Nature 341, 549–551
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
    1. Pasternak C. and
    2. Elson E. L.
    (1990). Mapping regional mechanical properties of a cell during chemotaxis. J. Cell Biol 111, 7–.
    OpenUrl
    1. Sepsenwol S. and
    2. Taft S. J.
    (1990). In vitro induction of crawling in the amoeboid sperm of the nematode parasite, Ascaris suum. Cell Motil. Cytoskel 15, 99–110
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
    1. Small J. V.
    (1989). Microfilament-based motility in non-muscle cells. Curr. Opin. Cell Biol 1, 75–79
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
    1. Spudich J. A.
    (1989). In pursuit of myosin function. Cell Regul 1, 1–11
    OpenUrlPubMedWeb of Science
    1. Todd I.,
    2. Mellor J. S. and
    3. Gingell D.
    (1988). Mapping cell-glass contacts of Dictyostelium amoebae by total internal reflection aqueous fluorescence overcomes a basic ambiguity of interference reflection microscopy. J. Cell Sci 89, 107–114
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
    1. Tourtellot M. K.,
    2. Collins R. D. and
    3. Bell W. J.
    (1991). The problem of movelength and turn definition in analysis of orientation data. J. Theor. Biol 150, 287–297
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science
    1. Wessels D.,
    2. Soll D. R.,
    3. Knecht D.,
    4. Loomis W. F.,
    5. De Lozanne A. and
    6. Spudich J.
    (1988). Cell motility and chemotaxis in Dictyostelium amebae lacking myosin heavy chain. Dev. Biol 128, 164–177
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science
    1. Yumura S.,
    2. Mori H. and
    3. Fukui Y.
    (1984). Localization of actin and myosin for the study of ameboid movement in Dictyostelium using improved immunofluorescence. J. Cell Biol 99, 894–899
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
Previous ArticleNext Article
Back to top
Previous ArticleNext Article

This Issue

 Download PDF

Email

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on Journal of Cell Science.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
A mechanical function of myosin II in cell motility
(Your Name) has sent you a message from Journal of Cell Science
(Your Name) thought you would like to see the Journal of Cell Science web site.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Share
Journal Articles
A mechanical function of myosin II in cell motility
P.Y. Jay, P.A. Pham, S.A. Wong, E.L. Elson
Journal of Cell Science 1995 108: 387-393;
del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo CiteULike logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
Citation Tools
Journal Articles
A mechanical function of myosin II in cell motility
P.Y. Jay, P.A. Pham, S.A. Wong, E.L. Elson
Journal of Cell Science 1995 108: 387-393;

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Alerts

Please log in to add an alert for this article.

Sign in to email alerts with your email address

Article navigation

  • Top
  • Article
  • Info & metrics
  • PDF

Related articles

Cited by...

More in this TOC section

  • Involvement of actin filaments and integrins in the binding step in collagen phagocytosis by human fibroblasts
  • University administration
  • The cytoplasmic domain of the interleukin-6 receptor gp80 mediates its basolateral sorting in polarized madin-darby canine kidney cells
Show more Journal Articles

Similar articles

Other journals from The Company of Biologists

Development

Journal of Experimental Biology

Disease Models & Mechanisms

Biology Open

Advertisement

Cell scientist to watch: Janet Iwasa

Read our interview with molecular animator Janet Iwasa, where she talks about her transition from the wet lab, explains how animation can facilitate research and discusses the challenges of the field.


New funding scheme supports sustainable events

As part of our Sustainable Conferencing Initiative, we are pleased to announce funding for organisers that seek to reduce the environmental footprint of their event. The next deadline to apply for a Scientific Meeting grant is 26 March 2021.


Mole – The Corona files

“Despite everything, it's just incredible that we get to do science.”

Mole continues to offer his wise words to researchers on how to manage during the COVID-19 pandemic.


JCS and COVID-19

For more information on measures Journal of Cell Science is taking to support the community during the COVID-19 pandemic, please see here.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hestiate to contact the Editorial Office.

Articles

  • Accepted manuscripts
  • Issue in progress
  • Latest complete issue
  • Issue archive
  • Archive by article type
  • Special issues
  • Subject collections
  • Interviews
  • Sign up for alerts

About us

  • About Journal of Cell Science
  • Editors and Board
  • Editor biographies
  • Travelling Fellowships
  • Grants and funding
  • Journal Meetings
  • Workshops
  • The Company of Biologists

For Authors

  • Submit a manuscript
  • Aims and scope
  • Presubmission enquiries
  • Fast-track manuscripts
  • Article types
  • Manuscript preparation
  • Cover suggestions
  • Editorial process
  • Promoting your paper
  • Open Access
  • JCS Prize
  • Manuscript transfer network
  • Biology Open transfer

Journal Info

  • Journal policies
  • Rights and permissions
  • Media policies
  • Reviewer guide
  • Sign up for alerts

Contacts

  • Contact JCS
  • Subscriptions
  • Advertising
  • Feedback

Twitter   YouTube   LinkedIn

© 2021   The Company of Biologists Ltd   Registered Charity 277992