Inside living cells, the remodelling of membrane tubules by actomyosin networks is crucial for processes such as intracellular trafficking or organelle reshaping. In this review, we first present various in vivo situations in which actin affects membrane tubule remodelling, then we recall some results on force production by actin dynamics and on membrane tubules physics. Finally, we show that our knowledge of the underlying mechanisms by which actomyosin dynamics affect tubule morphology has recently been moved forward. This is thanks to in vitro experiments that mimic cellular membranes and actin dynamics and allow deciphering the physics of tubule remodelling in biochemically controlled conditions, and shed new light on tubule shape regulation.
Keywords: Actin; Membrane; Tubule; Vesicle trafficking.
© 2021 The Authors. Biology of the Cell published by Wiley-VCH GmbH on behalf of Société Française des Microscopies and Société de Biologie Cellulaire de France.