ArticleMolecular biology of the cell2017
Coupled excitable Ras and F-actin activation mediates spontaneous pseudopod formation and directed cell movement.
Article in Molecular biology of the cell, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 50 papers.
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Who cites it
50 citing papers in PubMed, 75 citations in OpenAlex.
- Stochastic models for cell polarization and crawling: journey from external fluctuations in reaction-diffusion system to internal noise effects.European biophysics journal : EBJ · 2026Article
- Membrane Kymograph Generator: a cross-platform GUI software for automated generation and analysis of kymographs along dynamic cell boundaries.Bioinformatics (Oxford, England) · 2026Article
- Local Ras/actin signaling orients individual pseudopods in shallow gradients.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026Article
- Membrane Kymograph Generator: A cross-platform GUI software for automated generation and analysis of kymographs along dynamic cell boundaries.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Vincristine Treatment Protects Against Podocyte Damage in Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis.Kidney international reports · 2025Article
- Spatial distribution of cytoskeleton-mediated feedback controls cell polarization: A computational study.PLoS computational biology · 2025Article
- Signaling and actin waves at a glance.Journal of cell science · 2025Review
- Two endogenousProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
- Spatial distribution of cytoskeleton-mediated feedback controls cell polarization: a computational study.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- Excitable Ras dynamics-based screens reveal RasGEFX is required for macropinocytosis and random cell migration.Nature communications · 2025Article
- GRminusRD: A Sensitive Assay to Detect Activation Processes at the Plasma Membrane in Living Cells.Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.) · 2024Article
- Excitable dynamics driven by mechanical feedback in biological tissues.Communications physics · 2024Article
- Local negative feedback of Rac activity at the leading edge underlies a pilot pseudopod-like program for amoeboid cell guidance.PLoS biology · 2023Article
- A phosphatidylinositol phosphate kinase inhibits Ras activation and regulates chemorepulsion in Dictyostelium discoideum.Journal of cell science · 2023Article
- Spatiotemporal dynamics of membrane surface charge regulates cell polarity and migration.Nature cell biology · 2022Article
- Mechanobiology of Colorectal Cancer.Cancers · 2022Review
- A chemorepellent inhibits local Ras activation to inhibit pseudopod formation to bias cell movement away from the chemorepellent.Molecular biology of the cell · 2022Article
- Ras inhibitors gate chemoattractant concentration range for chemotaxis through controlling GPCR-mediated adaptation and cell sensitivity.Frontiers in immunology · 2022Review
- ERK signaling for cell migration and invasion.Frontiers in molecular biosciences · 2022Review
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Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Many eukaryotic cells regulate their mobility by external cues. Genetic studies have identified >100 components that participate in chemotaxis, which hinders the identification of the conceptual framework of how cells sense and respond to shallow chemical gradients. The activation of Ras occurs during basal locomotion and is an essential connector between receptor and cytoskeleton during chemotaxis. Using a sensitive assay for activated Ras, we show here that activation of Ras and F-actin forms two excitable systems that are coupled through mutual positive feedback and memory. This coupled excitable system leads to short-lived patches of activated Ras and associated F-actin that precede the extension of protrusions. In buffer, excitability starts frequently with Ras activation in the back/side of the cell or with F-actin in the front of the cell. In a shallow gradient of chemoattractant, local Ras activation triggers full excitation of Ras and subsequently F-actin at the side of the cell facing the chemoattractant, leading to directed pseudopod extension and chemotaxis. A computational model shows that the coupled excitable Ras/F-actin system forms the driving heart for the ordered-stochastic extension of pseudopods in buffer and for efficient directional extension of pseudopods in chemotactic gradients.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.