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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 12: Poster 2

BP 12.30: Poster

Dienstag, 6. September 2022, 17:30–19:30, P4

Interactions between cytoskeletal filaments — •Magdalena Haaf, Anna Schepers, and Sarah Köster — Institute of X-Ray Physics, Göttingen, Germany

The cytoskeletal filaments --F-actin, microtubules and intermediate filaments (IFs)-- constitute an interpenetrating network that performs essential cellular functions. Next to the mechanical properties of the single filaments, the interactions between the filamentous proteins play an important role in cytoskeletal network mechanics. To gain a deeper understanding of the composite network it is useful to quantify such interactions in a controlled setting. Cell experiments have revealed a functional and structural interplay between F-actin and vimentin IFs. However, in reconstituted systems studies of mixed networks come to conflicting conclusions. To clearly solve this conflict, it is crucial to simplify the system even further to the single filament level. We use a quadruple optical trap in combination with microfluidics and confocal microscopy to directly quantify the interaction strength and dynamics between F-actin and vimentin IFs. Our approach allows us to characterize the interactions independent of the network morphology. This setup further enables us to probe the influence of electrostatic and hydrophobic effects on the interactions between single filaments.