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 ...

Clemson University

The actin cytoskeleton is a soft, structural material that underlies biological processes such as cell division, motility, and cargo transport. The cross-linked actin filaments self-organize into a myriad of architectures, from disordered meshworks to ordered bundles, which are hypothesized to control the actomyosin force generation that regulates cell migration, shape, and adhesion. Here, we use fluorescence microscopy and simulations to investigate how actin bundle architectures with varying polarity, spacing, and rigidity impact myosin II dynamics and force generation. Microscopy reveals that mixed-polarity bundles formed by rigid cross-linkers support slow, bidirectional myosin II filament motion, punctuated by periods of stalled motion. Simulations reveal that these locations of stalled myosin motion correspond to sustained, high forces in regions of balanced actin filament polarity. By contrast, mixed-polarity bundles formed by compliant, large cross-linkers support fast, bidirectional motion with no traps. Simulations indicate that trap duration is directly related to force magnitude and that the observed increased velocity corresponds to lower forces resulting from both the increased bundle compliance and filament spacing. Our results indicate that the microstructures of actin assemblies regulate the dynamics and magnitude of myosin II forces, highlighting the importance of architecture and mechanics in regulating forces in biological materials.

Actin bundle architecture and mechanics regulate myosin II force generation.

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.

Article	Year
Actin bundle architecture and mechanics regulate myosin II force generation. Biophysical journal\| PubMed ID: 33798565	2021
Direct detection of deformation modes on varying length scales in active biopolymer networks. bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology\| PubMed ID: 37292666	2025

Kimberly L. Weirich

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