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Biophys. J. BioFAST: First Published January 21, 2005. doi:10.1529/biophysj.104.054270
© 2005 by the Biophysical Society.

A more recent version of this article appeared on April 1, 2005.
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Charles W. Wolgemuth
Tom Roberts
George Oster
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BIOPHYSICAL THEORY AND MODELING

MSP dynamics drives nematode sperm locomotion

Charles W. Wolgemuth 1, Long Miao 2, Orion Vanderlinde 2, Tom Roberts 2 and George Oster 3*

1 University of Connecticut Health Center
2 Florida State University
3 University of California

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: goster{at}nature.berkeley.edu.

Submitted on October 8, 2004
Revised on November 18, 2004
Accepted on 19 January 2005


  Abstract
Most eukaryotic cells can crawl over surfaces. In general, this motility requires three distinct actions: polymerization at the leading edge, adhesion to the substrate, and retraction at the rear. Recent in vitro experiments with extracts from spermatozoa from the nematode Ascaris suum suggest that retraction forces are generated by depolymerization of the Major Sperm Protein (MSP) cytoskeleton. Combining polymer entropy with a simple kinetic model for disassembly we propose a model for disassembly-induced retraction that fits the in vitro experimental data. This model explains the mechanism by which deconstructuion of the cytoskeleton produces the force necessary to pull the cell body forward and suggest further experiments that can test the validity of the model.

Key Words: MSP, cell motility, gel, major sperm protein, mathematical model, nematode sperm




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Copyright © 2005 by the Biophysical Society.