6 papers
A numerical approach for the dynamics of active viscoelastic surfaces
Francine Kolley-Köchel, Jan Magnus Sischka, Axel Voigt +2
The dynamics of active viscoelastic surfaces plays an important role in biological systems. One prominent example is the actin cortex, a thin bio-polymer sheet underneath the outer…
Twofold mechanosensitivity ensures actin cortex reinforcement upon peaks in mechanical tension
Valentin Ruffine, Andreas Hartmann, Michael Schlierf +1
The actin cortex is an active biopolymer network underneath the plasma membrane at the periphery of mammalian cells. It is a major regulator of cell shape through the generation of…
Pulsatory patterns in active viscoelastic fluids with distinct relaxation time scales
Eloy Merlijn de Kinkelder, Elisabeth Fischer-Friedrich, Sebastian Aland
Developing tissues need to pattern themselves in space and time. A prevalent mechanism to achieve this are pulsatile active stresses generated by the actin cytoskeleton. Active gel…
The Poisson ratio of the cellular actin cortex is frequency-dependent
Marcel Mokbel, Kamran Hosseini, Sebastian Aland +1
Cell shape changes are vital for many physiological processes such as cell proliferation, cell migration and morphogenesis. They emerge from an orchestrated interplay of active cel…
Salt-dependent rheology and surface tension of protein condensates using optical traps
Louise M. Jawerth, Mahdiye Ijavi, Martine Ruer +5
An increasing number of proteins with intrinsically disordered domains have been shown to phase separate in buffer to form liquid-like phases. These protein condensates serve as si…
Active prestress leads to an apparent stiffening of cells through geometrical effects
Elisabeth Fischer-Friedrich
Tuning of active prestress e.g. through activity of molecular motors constitutes a powerful cellular tool to adjust cellular stiffness through nonlinear material properties. Unders…