S. Sawai

Random walk and cell morphology dynamics in Naegleria gruberi

This study quantifies the movement and morphology dynamics of Naegleria gruberi, showing it behaves as a persistent random walker with two time-scales similar to Dictyostelium and neutrophils.

Evolutionary stability of social commitment

The paper investigates social commitment in Dictyostelium discoideum, showing that de-committed cells are redirected to altruistic roles, penalizing selfish behavior through reduced cohesivity and sorting into stalk positions.

Stress-dependent cell stiffening by tardigrade tolerance proteins through reversible formation of cytoskeleton-like filamentous network and gel-transition

This study identifies CAHS proteins as stress-dependent cytoskeletal-like proteins that form reversible filaments and gels to enhance cell stiffness and dehydration resistance in tardigrades.

Optogenetic relaxation of actomyosin contractility uncovers mechanistic roles of cortical tension during cytokinesis

The paper introduces OptoMYPT, an optogenetic tool to relax actomyosin contractility, revealing cortical tension's role in cytokinesis by accelerating furrow ingression.

Comparative mapping of crawling-cell morphodynamics in deep learning-based feature space

The paper maps crawling-cell morphodynamics in a deep learning-based feature space using phase-field modeling and identifies key parameters for migratory morphologies under perturbations.

Micro-topographical guidance of macropinocytic signaling patches

The paper shows that micro-topography guides macropinocytic signaling patches in Dictyostelium, with PI3K-dependent nucleation and confinement at convex and concave surfaces, respectively.

Three-dimensional morphodynamics simulations of macropinocytic cups

This study develops a computational framework to simulate macropinocytic cup formation, showing that protrusive forces from signaling patches can create self-enclosing structures without external support.

Tissue self-organization based on collective cell migration by contact activation of locomotion and chemotaxis

This study identifies a contact-based migration mechanism in Dictyostelium cells that competes with chemotaxis, revealing new rules for cell sorting and collective migration.