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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 26: Poster Session II
BP 26.32: Poster
Donnerstag, 29. März 2007, 17:00–19:30, Poster B
Nonequilibrium mechanics of active cytoskeletal networks — Daisuke Mizuno1,2, •Catherine Tardin1, Frederick MacKintosh1, and Christoph Schmidt1,2 — 1Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands — 2III. Physikalisches Institut, Fakultät f. Physik, Georg-August-Universität, Göttingen, Germany
Cells both actively generate and sensitively react to forces using their mechanical framework, the cytoskeleton, which is a non-equilibrium, composite material including polymers and motor proteins. We measure the dynamics and mechanical properties of a simple three-component model system, consisting of myosin II, actin filaments, and crosslinkers. Stresses arising from motor activity control cytoskeletal network mechanics: both increasing stiffness by a factor of nearly 100 and qualitatively changing the viscoleastic response of the network in an ATP-dependent manner. We present a quantitative theoretical model connecting the large-scale properties of this active gel to molecular force generation.