Evolution of growth modes for polyelectrolyte bundles.
Multivalent ions induce attractions between polyelectrolytes, but lead to finite-sized bundles rather than macroscopic phase separation. The kinetics of aggregation and bundle formation of actin is tracked using two different fluorescently labeled populations of F-actin. It is found that the growth mode of these bundles evolves with time and salt concentration, varying from an initial lateral growth to a longitudinal one at later stages. The results suggest that kinetics play a role in bundle growth, but not in the lateral size of bundles, which is constant for linear and branched topologies.
Lai
Ghee Hwee
GH
Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana-Champaign, Illinois 61801, USA.
Coridan
Rob
R
Zribi
Olena V
OV
Golestanian
Ramin
R
Wong
Gerard C L
GC
D000199:Actins / Q000737:chemistry*; D002413:Cations, Divalent / Q000737:chemistry; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000737:chemistry; D007700:Kinetics; D008274:Magnesium / Q000737:chemistry*; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal / Q000379:methods
D000199:Actins; D002413:Cations, Divalent; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D008274:Magnesium