Regensburg 2019 – wissenschaftliches Programm

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 6: Poster I

BP 6.58: Poster

Montag, 1. April 2019, 17:30–19:30, Poster B2

Failure of Biological Networks with Dynamic Crosslinks — •Mareike Berger, David Brückner, and Chase Broedersz — Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich

The cytoskeleton is a complex network of crosslinked biopolymers, which is crucial for cellular rigidity and cell motility. By remodeling on different time scales, it allows the cell to both withstand stress and adapt to external forces. Rheological experiments with reconstituted crosslinked actin filament networks have revealed a complex, time-dependent stress response that depends sensitively on the properties of the crosslinks. In a simple model of a dynamically crosslinked network, we investigate the rheology and rupture behavior of such transient networks. We find that in a network with fixed crosslinks, the rupture stress is determined by a characteristic stress distribution in the network, where highly stressed crosslinks in the vicinity of defects that exceed their maximum extension threshold cause the failure of the network. In contrast, a network with dynamic crosslinks exhibits an entirely different, system-size dependent rupture mechanism. This model therefore reveals two distinct rupture mechanisms that could provide a conceptual framework for the rupture dynamics of experimental systems.