Berlin 2005 – scientific programme

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CPP: Chemische Physik und Polymerphysik

CPP 7: SYMPOSIUM: Polymer networks and beyond: From molecular structure to materials and biological functions II

CPP 7.2: Invited Talk

Saturday, March 5, 2005, 11:15–11:45, TU C243

Biomimetic Protein Filament Networks — •Joachim Spatz, Jennifer Curtis, Wouter Roos, Jens Ulmer, Christian Schmitz, and Simon Schulz — Max-Planck-Institut für Metallforschung, Stuttgart + Universität Heidelberg, Biophysikalische Chemie, INF 253, 69 120 Heidelberg

Polymer networks consisting of protein filaments and filament associated active, or passive proteins are major functional constituents in tissues or in cells. The aim of our studies is to understand the dynamic regulation of protein filament architectures in tissues and cells, and its resultant influence on cellular activities. Examples of such protein filaments are Collagene, Fibronectin, F-Actin, or Microtubules and their respective associated proteins. Functions inherent to such protein networks are guided by the hierarchical assembly of protein and protein filaments as well as by the adaptive structural properties. Partially due to the complexity of these networks the underlying biophysics of the adaptive regulation processes of these networks is not well understood. We construct adjustable biomimetic models of F-Actin and Fibronectin networks, and subsequently perturb these systems and measure their properties using micro-mechanical devices and nanostructured interfaces. In these models, the complexity found in cells can be minimized and then controllably incremented step by step, which offers to study the physics of adaptive functions.