Back to Search
Start Over
A Mechanochemical Model of Actin Filaments
- Source :
- Biophysical Journal. 103(4):719-727
- Publication Year :
- 2012
- Publisher :
- Elsevier BV, 2012.
-
Abstract
- In eukaryotic cells, actin filaments are involved in important processes such as motility, division, cell shape regulation, contractility, and mechanosensation. Actin filaments are polymerized chains of monomers, which themselves undergo a range of chemical events such as ATP hydrolysis, polymerization, and depolymerization. When forces are applied to F-actin, in addition to filament mechanical deformations, the applied force must also influence chemical events in the filament. We develop an intermediate-scale model of actin filaments that combines actin chemistry with filament-level deformations. The model is able to compute mechanical responses of F-actin during bending and stretching. The model also describes the interplay between ATP hydrolysis and filament deformations, including possible force-induced chemical state changes of actin monomers in the filament. The model can also be used to model the action of several actin-associated proteins, and for large-scale simulation of F-actin networks. All together, our model shows that mechanics and chemistry must be considered together to understand cytoskeletal dynamics in living cells.
- Subjects :
- Models, Molecular
Stochastic Processes
biology
Chemistry
Protein Conformation
Microfilament Proteins
Biophysics
Actin remodeling
Arp2/3 complex
macromolecular substances
Microfilament
Actins
Cell biology
Biomechanical Phenomena
Protein filament
Actin Cytoskeleton
Treadmilling
ATP hydrolysis
biology.protein
Molecular Machines, Motors, and Nanoscale Biophysics
Cytoskeleton
Actin
Mechanical Phenomena
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 00063495
- Volume :
- 103
- Issue :
- 4
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Biophysical Journal
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....5456ec0b0f6a07886a3f8f8c35a0e601
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpj.2012.07.020