Spatial anisotropy and heterogeneity in contractility and adhesion distribution may contribute to cell steering during migration

Abstract

Transition from random to persistent cell motility requires spatiotemporal organization of the cytoskeleton and focal adhesions. The influence of these two structures on cell steering can also be gleaned from trypsin de-adhesion experiments, wherein cells exposed to trypsin round up, exhibiting a combination of rotation and translation. Here, we present a model to evaluate the contributions of contractility and bond distribution to experimentally observed de-adhesion. We show that while asymmetry in bond distribution causes only cell translation, a combination of asymmetric bond distribution and non-uniform contractility are required for translation and rotation, and may guide cell migration.