General mechanism of actomyosin contractility.
Stress generation by myosin minifilaments is analyzed via simulation of their motion in a random actin network. The stresses are overwhelmingly contractile because minifilament equilibrium positions having contractile stress have lower energy than those for expansive stress. Force chains lead to unexpectedly large stresses.
Department of Physics, Washington University, One Brookings Drive, Campus Box 1105, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, USA.
Nilushi L
NL
Dasanayake
Paul J
PJ
Michalski
Anders E
AE
Carlsson
D008841:Actin Cytoskeleton / Q000378:metabolism; D000205:Actomyosin / Q000378:metabolism*; D004548:Elasticity; D008954:Models, Biological; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000502:physiology*; D009126:Muscle Relaxation / Q000502:physiology
D000205:Actomyosin