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SYSD: Symposium SKM Dissertation Prize 2024

SYSD 1: SKM Dissertation Prize

SYSD 1.3: Hauptvortrag

Montag, 18. März 2024, 10:30–11:00, H 1012

Interactions within and between cytoskeletal filaments — •Charlotta Lorenz — Georg-August University Göttingen, DE — ETH Zürich, CH — Cornell University, US

While we live our lives, the biological cells of our body are exposed to many different mechanical challenges: Skin cells need to resist various forces, cells can squeeze through tissues and cells in blood vessels need to constantly adjust to changing pressure. To master all these complex situations, the biological cell relies on an intricate network of biopolymers, the cytoskeleton, which determines cellular mechanics. In my PhD thesis, I identified interactions within and between these biopolymers as a key player for both their mechanical and dynamic response.

We measured the mechanical properties of the biopolymers by stretching single biopolymers or crossing two biopolymers with optical tweezers. With coarse-grained models we could infer information about the interactions within and between filaments from their mechanical response. Our combination of experiments and theoretical approaches also showed that electrostatic and hydrophobic effects contribute to the interaction within and between the biopolymers. Thus, by tuning the interactions within as well as between filaments via a change in the concentration of electrostatic or hydrophobic components the cell might have a toolbox to adapt its mechanical response. Generally, these results are also interesting for the design of new recyclable and sustainable biologically-inspired materials.

Keywords: cell; mechanics; simulations; biophysics; optical tweezers