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Updated: Nov 25, 2025

Using Microfluidics and Fluorescence Microscopy to Study the Assembly Dynamics of Single Actin Filaments and Bundles
Published on: May 5, 2022
Fluctuations of a membrane nanotube covered with an actin sleeve
A Allard1,2,3, F Valentino1,2, C Sykes1,2
1Laboratoire Physico Chimie Curie, Institut Curie, PSL Research University, CNRS UMR168, Paris, France.
Abstract:
Many biological functions rely on the reshaping of cell membranes, in particular into nanotubes, which are covered in vivo by dynamic actin networks. Nanotubes are subject to thermal fluctuations, but the effect of these on cell functions is unknown. Here, we form nanotubes from liposomes using an optically trapped bead adhering to the liposome membrane. From the power spectral density of this bead, we study the nanotube fluctuations in the range of membrane tensions measured in vivo. We show that an actin sleeve covering the nanotube damps its high-frequency fluctuations because of the network viscoelasticity. Our work paves the way for further studies of the effect of nanotube fluctuations on cellular functions.
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