Mechanotransduction and Cell Adhesion Dynamics in Amoeboid Systems

Amoeboid cells such as Dictyostelium discoideum, neutrophils and certain unicellular holozoans navigate complex environments by integrating mechanical cues with dynamic adhesion to underlying substrates. Mechanotransduction enables these cells to convert variations in membrane tension, substrate stiffness and osmotic pressure into biochemical signals that regulate actin polymerisation, myosin II activity and adhesion complex assembly. Unlike mesenchymal cells, amoeboid systems rely on transient, low‐affinity interactions—often mediated by surface glycoproteins, talin‐like adaptors or integrin homologues—to generate traction and respond rapidly to changing conditions. Cell division in suspension or under confinement further illustrates how adhesion status and physical constraints govern cytokinetic furrow ingression and abscission pathways. Together, these processes underpin immune cell trafficking, tissue remodelling and early multicellular organisation, emphasising both fundamental mechanisms and potential applications in wound healing, immunotherapy and biomaterials design.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent work on membrane wounding in dividing Dictyostelium has revealed that local breaches at the cleavage furrow accelerate constriction independently of canonical motor proteins, suggesting a direct mechanosensitive link between membrane integrity and contractile machinery. Wounds outside the furrow alter daughter‐cell size and can reorient the division axis, demonstrating that membrane tension gradients provide spatial cues for polarity establishment. In parallel, studies of cytokinesis in non‐adhesive conditions show that Dictyostelium cells unable to attach to a substratum form multicellular aggregates in which confined spaces facilitate a novel, myosin II–dependent abscission mode. This work redefines modes of cytokinesis by highlighting how environmental adhesion and confinement dictate mechanotransductive pathways for furrow ingression and final separation.

Mechanotransduction and Cell Adhesion Dynamics in Amoeboid Systems publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in mechanotransduction and cell adhesion dynamics in amoeboid systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Mechanotransduction: Conversion of mechanical forces or deformations into intracellular biochemical signals.

Amoeboid motility: A mode of cell migration characterised by rapid shape changes, low‐adhesion protrusions and cortex contractility.

EDL-DLVO forces: Combined electric double-layer and van der Waals interactions governing nonspecific adhesion.

Adhesion complex: Multiprotein assembly linking cell surface receptors to the actin cytoskeleton.

Myosin II: Motor protein that generates contractile forces in the cell cortex and cleavage furrow.

Cortical tension: The contractile tension maintained by the actin–myosin network beneath the plasma membrane.

Integrin adhesome: The network of integrin receptors and associated cytoplasmic proteins that mediate cell–matrix adhesion.

References

1. Neutrophils actively swell to potentiate rapid migration. eLife (2024).
2. Effects of wounds in the cell membrane on cell division. Scientific Reports (2023).
3. A novel mode of cytokinesis without cell-substratum adhesion. Scientific Reports (2017).
4. Integrin-Mediated Adhesion in the Unicellular Holozoan Capsaspora owczarzaki. Current Biology (2020).
5. Adhesion strategies of Dictyostelium discoideum – a force spectroscopy study. Nanoscale (2018).