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New controlled release systems produced by self-assembly of biopolymers and colloidal particles at fluid-fluid interfaces
The viscoelastic response of living cells is largely determined by heterogenous networks of cross-linked and bundled actin filaments. The quantitative impact of such local network heterogeneities is studied best in well-defined in vitro model systems by employing microscopic and micromechanical techniques. In this study, we show that reconstituted alpha-actinin/actin networks exhibit a structural polymorphism, which is dictated by two types of mesoscopic heterogeneities: a composite bundle phase at intermediate alpha-actinin concentrations and clusters of actin bundles at high alpha-actinin concentrations. We demonstrate the influence of these structural heterogeneities on the mechanical properties of crosslinked and bundled actin networks. First, locally embedding stiff bundles into the network strengthens the macroscopic network response. Second, the formation of fractal, star-like bundle clusters drastically concentrates material in localized spots and weakens the network elasticity. Such bundle cluster networks exhibit kinetically trapped and thus metastable network configurations-which is contrary to the commonly accepted belief of equilibrated network formations. [hide]
Scientific Board
Andreas Bausch
TU Munich, Germany ►
Peter Fischer
ETH Zurich, Switzerland ►
Anne-Marie Hermansson
SIK, Sweden ►
Martin Kroger
ETH Zurich, Germany/Switzerland ►
Erik van der Linden
Wageningen UR, The Netherlands ►
Niklas Loren
SIK, Sweden ►
Leonard Sagis
Wageningen UR, The Netherlands ►
Erich Windhab
ETH Zurich, Switzerland ►
Klaas-Jan Zuidam
Unilever, The Netherlands ►
Scientific Stuff
Manuela Duxenneuner
ETH Zurich, Switzerland ►
Sophia Fransson
SIK, Sweden ►
Nam-Phuong Humblet-Hua
Wageningen UR, The Netherlands ►
Joeska Husny
ETH Zurich, Australia/Switzerland ►
Orit Peleg
ETH Zurich, Israel/Switzerland ►
Cyrille Vezy
TU Munich, Germany ►
Varvara Mitropoulos
ETH Zurich, Switzerland ►
Associated Scientists
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SY Tee, AR Bausch, PA Janmey,
The mechanical cell
CURRENT BIOLOGY 19 (2009) R745 ►Selected conferences (co-)organized by project members
8th World Congress on Computational Mechanics WCCM8 2008
30 June - 5 July 2007, Venice, Italy ►13 May 2025
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