One ubiquitous cellular structure for performing various tasks, such as spreading and migration over external surfaces, is the sheet-like protrusion called a lamellipodium, which propels the leading edge of the cell. Despite the detailed knowledge about the many components of this cellular structure, it is not yet fully understood how these components self-organize spatiotemporally to form lamellipodia. We review here recent theoretical works where we have demonstrated that membrane-bound protein complexes that have intrinsic curvature and recruit the protrusive forces of the cytoskeleton result in a simple, yet highly robust, organizing feedback mechanism that organizes the cytoskeleton and the membrane. This self-organization mechanism accounts for the formation of flat lamellipodia at the leading edge of cells spreading over adhesive substrates, allowing for the emergence of a polarized, motile 'minimal cell' model. The same mechanism describes how lamellipodia organize to drive robust engulfment of particles during phagocytosis and explains in simple physical terms the spreading and migration of cells over fibers and other curved surfaces. This Review highlights that despite the complexity of cellular composition, there might be simple general physical principles that are utilized by the cell to drive cellular shape dynamics.

中文翻译：

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基于片状伪足的细胞动力学和迁移的最小细胞模型。

一种普遍存在的细胞结构，用于执行各种任务，例如在外表面扩散和迁移，是一种称为片状足的片状突起，它推动细胞的前缘。尽管对这种细胞结构的许多成分有了详细的了解，但尚未完全了解这些成分如何在时空上自组织形成片状伪足。我们在此回顾最近的理论工作，其中我们证明了膜结合蛋白复合物具有内在曲率并募集细胞骨架的突出力，从而产生了一种简单但高度稳健的组织反馈机制，可以组织细胞骨架和膜。这种自组织机制解释了在粘性基底上铺展的细胞前缘形成平坦片状伪足，从而出现了极化的、活动的“最小细胞”模型。同样的机制描述了片状伪足如何组织以在吞噬作用过程中驱动颗粒的强力吞噬，并用简单的物理术语解释细胞在纤维和其他弯曲表面上的扩散和迁移。本综述强调，尽管细胞组成很复杂，但细胞可能利用简单的一般物理原理来驱动细胞形状动力学。