Single-Cell Biophysics: Measurement, Modulation, and Modeling

Single-Cell Biophysics: Measurement, Modulation, and Modeling

Poster Abstracts

5-POS Board 3 Brownian Dynamics Simulation Reveals Freedom of Motors in the Cargo Membrane Can Influence Cargo Dynamics Matt Bovyn 1,2 , Steven Gross 3,1,2 , Jun Allard 4,1,2 . 1 University of California - Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA, 4 University of California - Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA. 3 University of California - Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA, 2 University of California - Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA, Active transport of subcellular cargos along microtubules is essential for organization and function of eukaryotic cells. Kinesin family molecular motors are responsible for the transport of some cargos, with multiple motors often active at once. These motors have been extensively studied, but it remains unclear how the motors function in groups, as well as how properties of the cargo itself can influence transport. We developed a Brownian dynamics simulator of cargo transport which includes cargo shape and motor location on the cargo. Simulations reveal that if motors are free to diffuse on the surface of a cargo, under certain circumstances motors self- organize into dynamic clusters. Furthermore, dynamic clustering can give rise to the cargo “memory” – when a travelling cargo becomes detached from the microtubule briefly, it will tend to return to its former state more quickly when it regains contact. This memory effect demonstrates that cargo geometry alone can influence cargo behavior and hints that dynamic motor organization on the cargo could be used by the cell to control intracellular transport.

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