Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Mechanism of Lamellipodia Formation01:31

Mechanism of Lamellipodia Formation

2.4K
Cells migrating in response to external stimuli form lamellipodia, which are thin membrane protrusions supported by a mesh of linked, branched, or unbranched actin filaments. These actin filaments interact with myosin motor proteins, creating the dynamic actomyosin complex within the cytoskeleton. Contractility, or the ability to generate contractile stress, is inherent to the actomyosin complex. It helps cells detect the stiffness of the surrounding ECM and exert contractile force for...
2.4K
The Contractile Ring02:15

The Contractile Ring

6.1K
Contractile rings are composed of microfilaments and are responsible for separating the daughter cells during cytokinesis. Contractile ring assembly proceeds along with other cell cycle events; however, very few mechanistic details are known about the timing and coordination of the contractile rings with the cell cycle.
A small GTPase, RhoA, controls the function and assembly of the contractile ring. RhoA belongs to the Ras superfamily of proteins. The activation of formins by RhoA promotes...
6.1K
Actin Polymerization and Cell Motility01:13

Actin Polymerization and Cell Motility

5.0K
Actin is a family of globular proteins that are highly abundant in eukaryotic cells. It makes up approximately 1-5% of total cell protein concentration. Actin monomers polymerize to form a complex network of polarized filaments, the actin cytoskeleton, that plays a crucial role in many cellular processes, including cell motility, division, endocytosis, and metastasis of cancer cells.
Actin cytoskeleton dynamics can produce pushing, pulling, and resistance forces that help the cell to migrate....
5.0K
Rolling Without Slipping01:09

Rolling Without Slipping

3.4K
People have observed the rolling motion without slipping ever since the invention of the wheel. For example, one can look at the interaction between a car's tires and the surface of the road. If the driver presses the accelerator to the floor so that the tires spin without the car moving forward, there must be kinetic friction between the wheels and the road's surface. If the driver slowly presses the accelerator, causing the car to move forward, the tires roll without slipping. It is...
3.4K
Actin Treadmilling01:18

Actin Treadmilling

7.8K
Actin filaments undergo polymerization and depolymerization from either end. The polymerization and depolymerization rates depend on the cytosolic concentration of free G-actins. The polymerization rate is generally higher at the plus or barbed end, while the depolymerization rate is higher at the minus or pointed end. At a steady state, critical concentration describes the concentration of free G-actin monomers at which the polymerization rate at the plus end is equal to that of the...
7.8K
Mechanism of Filopodia Formation01:39

Mechanism of Filopodia Formation

2.2K
Filopodia are thin, actin-rich cellular protrusions that play an important role in many fundamental cellular functions. They vary in their occurrence, length, and positioning in different cell types, suggesting their diverse roles.
Their main function is to guide migrating cells during normal tissue morphogenesis or cancer metastasis by recognizing and making initial contacts with the extracellular matrix. However, they can also act as stationary cell anchors or help to establish communication...
2.2K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Halogen bond-driven azo-hydrazone tautomerisation: a computational study.

Journal of molecular modeling·2026
Same author

Live-shaping of hydrogel thin films with light.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Ni(II)-Based Porphyrin-Conjugated Microporous Polymers as Promising Anode for Lithium Storage.

Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids·2026
Same author

<i>C. elegans</i>-inspired undulatory motion in a light-driven liquid crystal elastomer fiber.

iScience·2026
Same author

Light driven polymer thin films as flying robotic chips in the sky.

Lab on a chip·2026
Same author

Sensitized Disequilibration of Water-Soluble Azopolymers.

Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)·2025
Same journal

Amorphous High-Entropy Oxides With High-Valent Metal and Oxygen-Vacancy Pairs for Thermally Stable Catalytic Oxidation.

Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)·2026
Same journal

H<sub>2</sub>S Self-Supplied Micelles Reverse Tumor-Immune Effector Cells Energy Metabolisms to Boost Breast Cancer Immunotherapy With Microenvironment Normalization.

Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)·2026
Same journal

Feed-Draw Printing Enables Monolithically Integrated Flexible Sensors With High Interfacial Toughness and Wide Linear Range.

Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)·2026
Same journal

Space-Time Coding Conformal Metasurfaces for Multifrequency Beam Steering and Shaping.

Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)·2026
Same journal

3D Printing of Magnetic Soft Materials for Functional Structures and Devices.

Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)·2026
Same journal

Photothermal-Activable Artificial Macrophage With Amplified Systemic Antibacterial Responses to Combat Primary and Secondary Infection.

Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 9, 2025

Directed Cellular Self-Assembly to Fabricate Cell-Derived Tissue Rings for Biomechanical Analysis and Tissue Engineering
08:00

Directed Cellular Self-Assembly to Fabricate Cell-Derived Tissue Rings for Biomechanical Analysis and Tissue Engineering

Published on: November 25, 2011

18.9K

Emergent Locomotion in Self-Sustained, Mechanically Connected Soft Matter Rings.

Hongshuang Guo1, Kai Li2, Arri Priimagi1

  • 1Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Tampere University, P.O. Box 541, Tampere, FI-33101, Finland.

Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
|April 30, 2025
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers developed self-moving liquid crystal elastomer rings that show collective locomotion when linked. Controlling their connections programs emergent group movement in soft matter, mimicking natural complexity.

Keywords:
collective effectliquid crystal elastomersmechanical couplingnon‐equilibriumself‐sustained

More Related Videos

Reconstituting and Characterizing Actin-Microtubule Composites with Tunable Motor-Driven Dynamics and Mechanics
09:10

Reconstituting and Characterizing Actin-Microtubule Composites with Tunable Motor-Driven Dynamics and Mechanics

Published on: August 25, 2022

3.0K
Cardiac Muscle Cell-based Actuator and Self-stabilizing Biorobot - Part 2
09:33

Cardiac Muscle Cell-based Actuator and Self-stabilizing Biorobot - Part 2

Published on: May 9, 2017

8.7K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 9, 2025

Directed Cellular Self-Assembly to Fabricate Cell-Derived Tissue Rings for Biomechanical Analysis and Tissue Engineering
08:00

Directed Cellular Self-Assembly to Fabricate Cell-Derived Tissue Rings for Biomechanical Analysis and Tissue Engineering

Published on: November 25, 2011

18.9K
Reconstituting and Characterizing Actin-Microtubule Composites with Tunable Motor-Driven Dynamics and Mechanics
09:10

Reconstituting and Characterizing Actin-Microtubule Composites with Tunable Motor-Driven Dynamics and Mechanics

Published on: August 25, 2022

3.0K
Cardiac Muscle Cell-based Actuator and Self-stabilizing Biorobot - Part 2
09:33

Cardiac Muscle Cell-based Actuator and Self-stabilizing Biorobot - Part 2

Published on: May 9, 2017

8.7K

Area of Science:

  • Soft Matter Physics
  • Materials Science
  • Polymer Chemistry

Background:

  • Natural systems exhibit complex emergent behaviors from individual interactions.
  • Synthetic materials research aims to replicate this complexity, particularly using non-equilibrium self-assembly.
  • Understanding and controlling emergent collective behavior in synthetic systems remains a challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the interactive behaviors and emergent functions of thermally fueled, twisted liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) rings.
  • To explore how connected LCE rings exhibit collective locomotion and programmable movement.
  • To establish a model for autonomous locomotion in soft matter constructs.

Main Methods:

  • Fabrication of twisted LCE rings from thermoresponsive strips.
  • Utilizing zero-elastic-energy-mode autonomous motion driven by heat gradients.
  • Studying single rings and linked knots of N=2, 3, 4, and 5 LCE rings.
  • Analyzing the effect of twisting numbers, links, and handedness on emergent behavior.

Main Results:

  • Individual LCE rings exhibit self-sustained movements.
  • Controlled, collective locomotion emerges in linked LCE ring systems when N ≥ 3.
  • Locomotion directionality can be programmed by controlling the handedness at connection points.
  • Mechanical coupling between LCE components drives emergent group activity.

Conclusions:

  • Linked LCE rings can autonomously generate programmed locomotion through mechanical coupling.
  • This study provides a framework for designing soft matter systems with emergent collective behaviors.
  • Findings offer insights into bio-inspired design principles for responsive materials.