The actomyosin cortex is a thin film, containing actin filaments and myosin molecular motors, located beneath the plasma-membrane of eukaryotic cells. Active processes, driven by ATP hydrolysis, can generate mechanical forces in the cortex. Coordinated force-generation drives large-scale mechanical flows and orientation patterns. These flows can pattern proteins coupled to the cortex leading to the emergence of active mechanochemical patterns. In this review, we discuss physical approaches to understand force-generation and the concomitant patterns observed in the actomyosin cortex. We briefly outline the hydrodynamic theory of active gels as applicable to the cortex and discuss its consequences. We speculate on the role of the actomyosin cortex in sculpting large-scale tissues and end with an outlook for open problems.

中文翻译：

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细胞的肌动球蛋白皮层：活性物质薄膜

肌动球蛋白皮层是一层薄膜，包含肌动蛋白丝和肌球蛋白分子马达，位于真核细胞的质膜下方。由 ATP 水解驱动的活动过程可以在皮层中产生机械力。协调的力产生驱动大规模的机械流动和方向模式。这些流动可以形成与皮层耦合的蛋白质，从而导致活跃的机械化学模式的出现。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了理解力的产生和在肌动球蛋白皮层中观察到的伴随模式的物理方法。我们简要概述了适用于皮质的活性凝胶的流体力学理论，并讨论了其后果。我们推测肌动球蛋白皮层在雕刻大型组织中的作用，并以对开放问题的展望结束。