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Related Experiment Videos

Trapping and wiggling: elastohydrodynamics of driven microfilaments

C H Wiggins1, D Riveline, A Ott

  • 1Department of Physics, Princeton University, New Jersey 08544, USA. cwiggins@princeton.edu

Biophysical Journal
|April 9, 1998
PubMed
Summary

We analyzed semiflexible filament motion to measure biopolymer elastic bending moduli. Experiments with actin filaments confirmed our model, offering a new method for modulus measurement.

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Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Polymer Physics
  • Hydrodynamics

Background:

  • Semiflexible filaments like biopolymers are crucial in biological processes.
  • Measuring their mechanical properties, such as bending moduli, is essential for understanding their function.
  • Existing experimental techniques may have limitations in accuracy or scope.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop an analytical model for the planar motion of single semiflexible filaments under viscous drag or point forcing.
  • To provide a theoretical framework for interpreting dynamic experiments measuring biopolymer mechanical properties.
  • To establish a new method for determining the elastic bending modulus of biopolymers.

Main Methods:

  • Analytical solutions for time-dependent filament shapes under small-amplitude deformations.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Analogy with Stokes problems in hydrodynamics for fluid motion.
  • Experimental validation using actin filaments manipulated with optical traps.
  • Reanalysis of published data for microtubules.

    • Main Results:

    • Obtained analytical solutions for the shapes of moving polymers.
    • Identified a characteristic length scale in oscillatory motion dependent on frequency, persistence length, and drag.
    • Experimental results for actin filaments confirmed the predicted scaling law.
    • Demonstrated a new technique for measuring elastic bending modulus.

    Conclusions:

    • The developed model accurately describes semiflexible filament motion under relevant forces.
    • The study provides a reliable method for measuring the elastic bending modulus of biopolymers.
    • The findings offer insights into the dynamics of biopolymers like actin filaments and microtubules.