A Mechanistic View of Collective Filament Motion in Active Nematic Networks.

ABSTRACT: Protein filament networks are structures crucial for force generation and cell shape. A central open question is how collective filament dynamics emerges from interactions between individual network constituents. To address this question, we study a minimal but generic model for a nematic network in which filament sliding is driven by the action of motor proteins. Our theoretical analysis shows how the interplay between viscous drag on filaments and motor-induced forces governs force propagation through such interconnected filament networks. We find that the ratio between these antagonistic forces establishes the range of filament interaction, which determines how the local filament velocity depends on the polarity of the surrounding network. This force-propagation mechanism implies that t

SUBMITTER: Striebel M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6976800 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature