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Active Composite Cell Surface : implications for the mechanics of information processing
The processing of information at the cell surface requires the regulation and control of the spatiotemporal distribution of signaling proteins. We will pose a generic optimization problem that may be encountered by the cell - namely that of faithful estimation of an external signal that varies in space and time.
We will show that this optimization leads to specific organization of signaling proteins. This organization is a natural outcome of the active composite model of the cell surface, wherein cell surface molecules are organised at multiple scales by their coupling to a thin cortical actomyosin layer, which actively drives local cell membrane composition and shape.