A dynamical systems approach to actin-based motility in Listeria monocytogenes

TL;DR

This paper develops a dynamical systems model to understand the actin-based motility of Listeria monocytogenes, revealing how its trajectories and spiral wave patterns are governed by similar attractors.

Contribution

It introduces a simplified yet rich dynamical model that captures the bifurcation structure underlying Listeria motility and spiral wave formation.

Findings

Trajectories and spiral waves share the same attracting set.

The model exhibits resonant Hopf bifurcation behavior.

Provides geometric insights into actin-based motility patterns.

Abstract

A simple kinematic model for the trajectories of Listeria monocytogenes is generalized to a dynamical system rich enough to exhibit the resonant Hopf bifurcation structure of excitable media and simple enough to be studied geometrically. It is shown how L. monocytogenes trajectories and meandering spiral waves are organized by the same type of attracting set.