Regensburg 2013 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 25: Posters: Cytoskeleton

BP 25.20: Poster

Wednesday, March 13, 2013, 17:30–19:30, Poster C

Active Biopolymer Networks — •Adam Walker, Nikta Fakhri, Kerstin von Roden, and Christoph F. Schmidt — Drittes Physikalisches Institut - Biophysik, Georg-August-Universität, Göttingen

Biological cells rely on the cytoskeleton - an active, polymeric structure - to drive essential dynamic processes such as motility, growth and cell division. In contrast to technical materials, a living cell is a non-equilibrium system. This research focuses on the investigation of mechanical properties and dynamics of model biopolymer networks quantitatively using a largely experimental approach centered on both bulk rheology and optical-trapping based microrheology. Non-muscle Myosin IIa motors were characterized using fluorescence microscopy for in vitro actin motility assays and shown to interact with and translocate actin filaments. Initial macro-rheology experiments dealt with model networks constructed purely from actin filaments and allowed us to quantify both the linear- and nonlinear- response of the networks. Networks will be activated using myosin motors and associated crosslinking proteins to better approximate the real cytoskeletal environment.