Emergent properties of composite semiflexible biopolymer networks

Citation:

Jensen, M. H. ; Morris, E. J. ; Goldman, R. D. ; Weitz, D. A. Emergent properties of composite semiflexible biopolymer networks. BioArchitecture 2015, 4 138-143. Copy at http://www.tinyurl.com/y5fcl6c2
jensen2015.pdf489 KB

Abstract:

The semiflexible polymers filamentous actin (F-actin) and intermediate filaments (IF) both form complex networks within the cell, and together are key determinants of cellular stiffness. While the mechanics of F-actin networks together with stiff microtubules have been characterized, the interplay between F-actin and IF networks is largely unknown, necessitating the study of composite networks using mixtures of semiflexible biopolymers. We employ bulk rheology in a simplified in vitro system to uncover the fundamental mechanical interactions between networks of the 2 semiflexible polymers, F-actin and vimentin IF. Surprisingly, co-polymerization of actin and vimentin can produce composite networks either stronger or weaker than pure F-actin networks. We show that this effect occurs through steric constraints imposed by IF on F-actin during network formation and filament crosslinking, highlighting novel emergent behavior in composite semiflexible networks.

Notes:

[*Equal contribution]

Publisher's Version

Last updated on 11/13/2020