Dresden 2017 – scientific programme
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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 25: Posters - Cytoskeletal Filaments
BP 25.11: Poster
Tuesday, March 21, 2017, 14:00–16:00, P2-EG
Composite networks of actin and intermediate filaments — •Tom Golde1, Martin Glaser1, Tina Händler1, Carsten Schuldt1, Jörg Schnauß1, Harald Herrmann2, and Josef Käs1 — 1University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany — 2German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
Mechanical properties of cells are mainly determined by the cytoskeletal components actin, microtubules, and intermediate filaments (IF). F-actin networks have been extensively studied both experimentally and theoretically. They are the most common model system for semiflexible polymer networks. IF feature network properties such as strain stiffening and a weak concentration dependency of the plateau modulus that are not covered by simple actin models. Although these proteins co-localize in vivo, the interplay between actin and cytoskeletal IF is widely unknown.
We used bulk rheology to study simplified in vitro networks compromised of actin and one type of IF, namely vimentin. Composite networks revealed physical properties between pure actin and vimentin networks in both the linear and non-linear regime. These properties can be tuned via the mixing ratio of these proteins. Fluorescence microscopy was employed to measure the network mesh size as well as the persistence length and reptation behavior of tracer filaments. Thus, we were able to link the properties of single filaments with the macrorheological properties of composite networks.