tuning-contractility-deformation-modes-active-actin-based-assemblies

Tuning the Contractility and Deformation Modes of Active Actin-Based Assemblies <em>In Vitro</em>: From Two-Dimensional Active Networks to Liquid Crystal Drops

Actin cytoskeleton-based materials are widely investigated as model cellular materials to elucidate physical mechanisms of cell mechanics, such as shape ...

University of Utah

University of Chicago

Correlated flows and forces that emerge from active matter orchestrate complex processes such as shape regulation and deformations in biological cells and tissues. The active materials central to cellular mechanics are cytoskeletal networks, where molecular motor activity drives deformations and remodeling. Here, we investigate deformation modes in contractile actin networks driven by the molecular motor myosin II through quantitative fluorescence microscopy. We examine the deformation anisotropy at different length scales in networks of sparsely cross-linked and bundled actin. In sparsely cross-linked networks, we find myosin-dependent biaxial buckling modes across length scales. Interestingly, both long and short-wavelength buckling may contribute to network contractility. In cross-linked bundled networks, uniaxial contraction predominates on long length scales, while the uniaxial or biaxial nature of the deformation depends on bundle microstructure at shorter length scales. The anisotropy of deformations may provide insight to the mechanical origins of contractility in actin networks and regulation of collective behavior in a variety of active materials.

Direct detection of deformation modes on varying length scales in active biopolymer networks.

Directional cell migration is driven by the conversion of oscillating edge motion into lasting periods of leading edge protrusion. Actin polymerization against the membrane and adhesions control edge motion, but the exact mechanisms that determine protrusion period remain elusive. We addressed this by developing a computational model in which polymerization of actin filaments against a deformable membrane and variable adhesion dynamics support edge motion. Consistent with previous reports, our model showed that actin polymerization and adhesion lifetime power protrusion velocity. However, increasing adhesion lifetime decreased the protrusion period. Measurements of adhesion lifetime and edge motion in migrating cells confirmed that adhesion lifetime is associated with and promotes protrusion velocity, but decreased duration. Our model showed that adhesions' control of protrusion persistence originates from the Brownian ratchet mechanism for actin filament polymerization. With longer adhesion lifetime or increased-adhesion density, the proportion of actin filaments tethered to the substrate increased, maintaining filaments against the cell membrane. The reduced filament-membrane distance generated pushing force for high edge velocity, but limited further polymerization needed for protrusion duration. We propose a mechanism for cell edge protrusion in which adhesion strength regulates actin filament polymerization to control the periods of leading edge protrusion.

Article	Year
Direct detection of deformation modes on varying length scales in active biopolymer networks. bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology\| PubMed ID: 37292666	2025
Nascent adhesions shorten the period of lamellipodium protrusion through the Brownian ratchet mechanism. Molecular biology of the cell\| PubMed ID: 37672339	2023

Samantha Stam

Biography

JoVE Journal Publications

Other Publications