Transverse Fluctuations Control the Assembly of Semiflexible Filaments

The kinetics of the assembly of semiflexible filaments through end-to-end annealing is key to the structure of the cytoskeleton, but is not understood. We analyze this problem through scaling theory and simulations, and uncover a regime where filaments' ends find each other through bending fluc...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review letters 2023-12, Vol.131 (22), p.228401-228401, Article 228401
Main Authors: Sorichetti, Valerio, Lenz, Martin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Actin Cytoskeleton - chemistry
Actins - chemistry
Condensed Matter
Cytoskeleton
Intermediate Filaments
Microtubules
Physics
Soft Condensed Matter
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Summary:The kinetics of the assembly of semiflexible filaments through end-to-end annealing is key to the structure of the cytoskeleton, but is not understood. We analyze this problem through scaling theory and simulations, and uncover a regime where filaments' ends find each other through bending fluctuations without the need for the whole filament to diffuse. This results in a very substantial speedup of assembly in physiological regimes, and could help with understanding the dynamics of actin and intermediate filaments in biological processes such as wound healing and cell division.
ISSN:0031-9007
1079-7114
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevLett.131.228401