title: Pulling helices inside bacteria: imperfect helices and rings.
abstract: We study steady-state configurations of intrinsically-straight elastic filaments constrained within rod-shaped bacteria that have applied forces distributed along their length. Perfect steady-state helices result from axial or azimuthal forces applied at filament ends, however azimuthal forces are required for the small pitches observed for MreB filaments within bacteria. Helix-like configurations can result from distributed forces, including coexistence between rings and imperfect helices. Levels of expression and/or bundling of the polymeric protein could mediate this coexistence.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Applied Mathematics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V6T 1Z2.
authors.forename: Jun F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Allard
authors.forename: Andrew D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Rutenberg
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000737:chemistry*; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000737:chemistry*; D008968:Molecular Conformation