Cofilin drives rapid turnover and fluidization of entangled F-actin

Abstract

When an animal cell moves or divides, a disordered network of actin filaments (F-actin) builds mechanical scaffolds to drive cell-shape changes. Actin filaments are undergoing continual cycles of assembly and disassembly, known as turnover, but it is unknown how these dynamics impact the mechanical properties of actin-filament-based networks. Here, we show that actin-filament turnover dynamics contribute to mechanical stress relaxation. Additionally, we identify the factors necessary to generate a nonequilibrium steady state of dynamic actin filaments that provides a picture of their regulation in vivo.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Jun 12, 2019
Source ID
10.1073/pnas.1818808116

Entities

People

  • David R. Kovar
  • Frederick C. Mackintosh
  • Margaret Gardel
  • Patrick M McCall

Organizations

  • Army Research Office
  • National Science Foundation
  • Rice University
  • University of Chicago

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Biology

Readers

  • Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
  • Organizational Psychology.
  • Systems Analysis and Design