The Movement of a Cell with Messenger Proteins

Isabelle Terranova
October 21, 2013

Published by: John Hopkins University 
Published on: October 20, 2013
Url: http://phys.org/news/2013-10-random-cell-movement.html

Summary: 

Biologists at John Hopkins University have made a ground breaking discovery on how cells move. It was previously thought that messenger proteins were only involved in directional movement. They thought that without messenger proteins a cell could only preform random movements. Now, however, we know that the messenger proteins are also involved in the random movements of the cell. The cytoskeleton is a complicated network of proteins that wrap around the inside of the cell and dive it it's shape and construction. The cytoskeleton allows the cell to move by pushing outwards in a certain spot and creating a projection outside of the cell that pulls the cell forward. The cytoskeleton moves by getting signals from the messenger proteins that are directed by the sensor protein on the outside of the cell. To perform their experiment, they bathed the cell in a drug that prevents the cytoskeleton from moving, and as they suspected the cell could not move, however the random responses of the messenger cells still happened. Then they tested what would happened if they paralyzed other parts of the system. They thought that if they removed the sensor proteins that no movement would occur, but they notice that the messenger proteins can still work on their own telling the cytoskeleton how to work. This discovery explains in more detail how cells move, but much is still unknown. 

Connection: 

In class we did a unit on cells. We talked about how there are three different types of proteins in the cell membrane, channel proteins, receptor proteins and marker proteins. These proteins help the cell get messages from others cells and allow the cytoskeleton to get the message on where and how to move. We also learned about macromolecules and the function of a protein. Proteins have very diverse functions; some main functions are structure, defense, enzymes and receptors on the outside of the cell's membrane. The proteins in the cytoskeleton hold the cell's structure while allowing parts of the cytoskeleton to bulge out and enable the cell to move. In class we also discussed how cilia and flagella enable the cell to move. This relates because the article discusses how these organisms get the message from the messenger proteins and move the cell like propellers! In class we learned a lot about the functions of proteins and the movement and functions of cells. This material is enriched by the study carried out at John Hopkins University School of Medicine and recorded in the listed article!