Motor crosslinking augments elasticity in active nematics
S.A. Redford, J. Colen, J.L. Shivers, S. Zemsky, M. Molaei, C. Floyd, P.V. Ruijgrok, V. Vitelli, Z. Bryant, A.R. Dinner, and M.L. Gardel
Published in Soft Matter, 2024
In active nematics, “activity” may come from the action of molecular motors such as myosin which drive motion of biofilaments. We showed how myosin crosslinking also affects the elastic properties of the material. Engineered myosin motors may alter the interplay between motor-driven activity and motor-driven crosslinking. This can lead to counterintuitive behavior, where increasing the ATP concentration – the chemical fuel for myosin motors – produces a slower, less “active” material.
Collaboration with Steven Redford and the Gardel, Dinner, and Bryant labs.