Bacterial contractile injection systems are fascinating particles that use a spring-like
mechanism to inject an effector-loaded needle into target cells. A recent study shows that the …

We report here our efforts to measure the crawling force generated by cells undergoing
amoeboid locomotion. In a centrifuge microscope, acceleration was increased until …

Studies of the behavior of Physarum polycephalum amoebae have shown that locomotion of
these cells is guided by surfaces composed of aggregated bacteria. Amoebae move readily …

Cells crawl by coupling protrusion of their leading edge with retraction of their cell body.
Protrusion is generated by the polymerization and bundling of filaments, but the mechanism …

We have engineered an amoeba system combining nanofabricated inorganic materials with
biological components, capable of propelling itself via actin polymerization. The …

Contractile injection systems mediate bacterial cell-cell interactions by a bacteriophage tail–
like structure. In contrast to extracellular systems, the type 6 secretion system (T6SS) is …

The current dominant model of cell locomotion proposes that actin polymerization pushes
against the membrane at the leading edge producing filopodia and lamellipodia that move …

Dynamic actin networks generate forces for numerous types of movements such as
lamellipodia protrusion or the motion of endocytic vesicles. The actin-based propulsive …

Many bacteria interact with target organisms using syringe-like structures called contractile
injection systems (CISs). CISs structurally resemble headless bacteriophages and share …

Cell‐driven microtransport is one of the most prominent applications in the emerging field of
biohybrid systems. While bacterial cells have been successfully employed to drive the …