Berlin 2012 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 27: Posters: Cytoskeletal Filaments

BP 27.11: Poster

Thursday, March 29, 2012, 17:30–19:30, Poster A

Network elasticity of stiff rods with semi flexible cross-linkers: simulation and experiment — •Meenakshi M Prabhune¹, Knut M Heidemann², Florian Rehfeldt¹, Max Wardetzky², and Christoph F Schmidt¹ — ¹Drittes Physikalisches Institut,Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Göttingen — ²Institute of Num. and Appl. Math, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Göttingen

Mechanical stress plays crucial roles in cellular functions such as adhesion, cell division, motility and many others. Experimental approaches, such as the use of elastic substrates, exist to estimate the forces exerted at the boundaries of cells. Mapping cell-internal stress fields still remains a challenge owing to the heterogeneity of the cytoskeletal filaments and to a lack of appropriate sensors. To model a strongly heterogeneous composite, we construct networks of microtubules cross-linked by dsDNA of variable length. We measure the linear and non-linear shear-elastic response in these networks by macro- and microrheology. Simultaneously, we compare the experimental data to numerical simulations that we have developed for networks of stiff slender rods connected by semi-flexible linkers.