Fig. 2.

The cell is modelled using three different materials. The nucleus is ten times stiffer than the cytoplasm material. Two different materials can be distinguished in the cytoplasm, where the mechanical properties are the same but the difference lies in the way they change its volume. In the leading edge, the expansion and contraction are orthotropic, and the highest value is oriented in the longitudinal direction. Thus, the polymerization of the free F-actin network is modelled. Elsewhere in the cell, the expansion and contraction are isotropic