title: Mechanical shear can accelerate the gelation of actin filament networks.
abstract: Rearrangements of the filamentous actin cytoskeleton at the leading edge of motile cells occur under large mechanical stresses. Contrary to conventional wisdom, we show that mechanical deformations applied during gelation can accelerate the rate of gelation and produce F-actin networks that are stiffer and mechanically more resilient than those polymerized under low or high shear deformations. Above a threshold shear strain amplitude, F-actin networks collapse and become soft and liquidlike. This effect of shear-induced strengthening of polymerizing networks depends on the state of hydrolysis of the actin-bound adenosine triphosphate.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA.
authors.forename: Osigwe
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Esue
authors.forename: Yiider
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tseng
authors.forename: Denis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wirtz
mesh_terms: D008841:Actin Cytoskeleton / Q000737:chemistry*; D000199:Actins / Q000737:chemistry*; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000737:chemistry; D005782:Gels / Q000737:chemistry; D033081:Shear Strength
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D005782:Gels