Morphological transitions of axially-driven microfilaments

Soft Matter. 2019 Jun 26;15(25):5163-5173. doi: 10.1039/c8sm02397b.

Abstract

The interactions of microtubules with motor proteins are ubiquitous in cellular and sub-cellular processes that involve motility and cargo transport. In vitro motility assays have demonstrated that motor-driven microtubules exhibit rich dynamical behaviors from straight to curved configurations. Here, we theoretically investigate the dynamic instabilities of elastic filaments, with free-ends, driven by single follower forces that emulate the action of molecular motors. Using the resistive force theory at low Reynolds number, and a combination of numerical techniques with linear stability analysis, we show the existence of four distinct regimes of filament behavior, including a novel buckled state with locked curvature. These successive instabilities recapitulate the full range of experimentally-observed microtubule behavior, implying that neither structural nor actuation asymmetry are needed to elicit this rich repertoire of motion.

MeSH terms

  • Actin Cytoskeleton / metabolism*
  • Biomechanical Phenomena
  • Elasticity
  • Models, Molecular*