Biochemical mechanisms for regulating protrusion by nematode major sperm protein

Crawling motion is ubiquitous in eukaryotic cells and contributes to important processes such as immune response and tumor growth. To crawl, a cell must adhere to the substrate, while protruding at the front and retracting at the rear. In most crawling cells protrusion is driven by highly regulated polymerization of the actin cytoskeleton, and much of the biochemical network for this process is known. Nematode sperm utilize a cytoskeleton composed of Major Sperm Protein (MSP), which is considered to form a simpler, yet similar, crawling motility apparatus. Key components involved in the polymerization of MSP have been identified; however, little is known about the chemical kinetics for this system. Here we develop a model for MSP polymerization that takes into account the effects of several of the experimentally identified cytosolic and membrane-bound proteins. To account for some of the data, the model requires force-dependent polymerization, as is predicted by Brownian ratchet mechanisms. Using the tethered polymerization ratchet model with our biochemical kinetic model for MSP polymerization, we find good agreement with experimental data on MSP-driven protrusion. In addition, our model predicts the force-velocity relation that is expected for in vitro protrusion assays.