Abstract
How the cytoskeleton, a heterogeneous network of dynamic filamentous proteins, provides the cell with structural support is not well understood. Particle-tracking methods, which probe local mechanical properties, are well suited to test existing hypotheses derived from in vitro models of reconstituted cytoskeleton networks. This paper reviews recent applications of single- and multiple-particle tracking microrheology, with an emphasis on the semiflexible polymer F-actin and the flexible polymer keratin, two ubiquitous proteins of the cytoskeleton. Extensive knowledge of the properties of these polymers allows a rigorous comparison between theory and experiments to a level rarely matched by synthetic polymers.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 210-217 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Current Opinion in Colloid and Interface Science |
Volume | 7 |
Issue number | 3-4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Aug 2002 |
Keywords
- Cytoskeleton
- F-Actin
- Keratin
- Microrheology
- Particle tracking
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Surfaces and Interfaces
- Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
- Polymers and Plastics
- Colloid and Surface Chemistry