Journal Article

FZJ-2017-06608

http://join2-wiki.gsi.de/foswiki/pub/Main/Artwork/join2_logo100x88.png Enhanced Dynamics of Confined Cytoskeletal Filaments Driven by Asymmetric Motors

Ravichandran, A.FZJ* ; Saggiorato, G. ; Auth, T. (Corresponding author)FZJ* ; Gompper, G. (Corresponding author)FZJ* ; Vliegenthart, G.FZJ*

2017
Cell Press Cambridge, Mass.

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Please use a persistent id in citations: doi:10.1016/j.bpj.2017.07.016

Abstract: Cytoskeletal filaments and molecular motors facilitate the micron-scale force generation necessary for the distribution of organelles and the restructuring of the cytoskeleton within eukaryotic cells. Although the mesoscopic structure and the dynamics of such filaments have been studied in vitro and in vivo, their connection with filament polarity-dependent motor-mediated force generation is not well understood. Using 2D Brownian dynamics simulations, we study a dense, confined mixture of rigid microtubules (MTs) and active springs that have arms that cross-link neighboring MT pairs and move unidirectionally on the attached MT. We simulate depletion interactions between MTs using an attractive potential. We show that dimeric motors, with a motile arm on only one of the two MTs, produce large polarity-sorted MT clusters, whereas tetrameric motors, with motile arms on both microtubules, produce bundles. Furthermore, dimeric motors induce, on average, higher velocities between antialigned MTs than tetrameric motors. Our results, where MTs move faster near the confining wall, are consistent with experimental observations in Drosophila oocytes where enhanced microtubule activity is found close to the confining plasma membrane.

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Contributing Institute(s):

1. Theorie der Weichen Materie und Biophysik (ICS-2)
2. Theorie der Weichen Materie und Biophysik (IAS-2)
3. JARA - HPC (JARA-HPC)

Research Program(s):

1. 552 - Engineering Cell Function (POF3-552) (POF3-552)
2. Hydrodynamics of Active Biological Systems (jiff26_20110501) (jiff26_20110501)

Appears in the scientific report 2017

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Database coverage:
; BIOSIS Previews ; Current Contents - Life Sciences ; IF < 5 ; JCR ; NCBI Molecular Biology Database ; SCOPUS ; Science Citation Index ; Science Citation Index Expanded ; Thomson Reuters Master Journal List ; Web of Science Core Collection

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