3D Plot from Scientific Research

Cusp catastrophe experienced by the molecular-clutch system. The pale green surface depicts cell traction (P) as a function of the retrograde actin flow (v) and substrate elasticity (E) in the linear KD model. The solid and dashed curves denote the stable and unstable branches of the solution for different myosin II densities (σm). Reducing σm to ~44 μm −2 results in the appearance of two saddle-node bifurcation points, a typical sign of a cusp catastrophe. Further decreasing σm shifts these points along the surface, outlining an instability region that includes only the unstable branches of cell traction curves.

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