Gong Bo, Wei Xi, Qian Jin, Lin Yuan
Department of Engineering Mechanics, Key Laboratory of Soft Machines and Smart Devices of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310027, China.
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
ACS Biomater Sci Eng. 2019 Aug 12;5(8):3720-3734. doi: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.8b01228. Epub 2019 Feb 4.
The cytoskeleton, a dynamic network of biopolymers with their associated cross-linking and motor proteins, is responsible for stabilizing cell shape and driving cell movement. This paper aims to provide an overview of the theoretical and computational approaches that have been developed to understand the dynamic behaviors and underlying mechanisms of actin-based cytoskeletal networks, connecting their microscopic structure to macroscopic performance across various scales, with implications for the observed nonlinear stress-strain relation, viscoelastic properties, stiffening induced by active motors as well as their biological functions in important processes such as cell adhesion, motility, and mechanosensing. In the future, more sophisticated constitutive theories, continuum level, and molecular dynamics-based simulations of biopolymer networks are expected to provide critical insights for understanding the material-structure-function relation in the cytoskeleton of cells and guiding the development of active biomimetic materials.
细胞骨架是由生物聚合物及其相关的交联蛋白和马达蛋白组成的动态网络，负责稳定细胞形状并驱动细胞运动。本文旨在概述为理解基于肌动蛋白的细胞骨架网络的动态行为和潜在机制而开发的理论和计算方法，将其微观结构与跨尺度的宏观性能联系起来，探讨所观察到的非线性应力 - 应变关系、粘弹性特性、活性马达蛋白引起的硬化以及它们在细胞粘附、运动和机械传感等重要过程中的生物学功能。未来，更复杂的本构理论、连续介质水平以及基于分子动力学的生物聚合物网络模拟有望为理解细胞骨架中的材料 - 结构 - 功能关系以及指导活性仿生材料的开发提供关键见解。
