Modeling cytokinesis of eukaryotic cells driven by the actomyosin contractile ring

Abstract

A 3D hydrodynamic model for cytokinesis of eukaryotic cells is developed, in which we model dynamics of actomyosins in the cell cortex, in particular, along the cytokinetic ring formed in the cortex and in the neighborhood of the cell's division plane explicitly. Specifically, the active force actuated by the actomyosin's activity along the cytokinetic ring is modeled by a surface force whose strength is proportional to the actomyosin concentration while the cell morphology is tracked by a phase field model. The model is then solved in 3-dimensional (3D) space and time using a finite difference method on Graphic Processing Units (GPUs). Dynamical morphological patterns of eukaryotic cells during cytokinesis are numerically simulated with the model.These simulated morphological patterns agree quantitatively with experimental observations.