Artificial cells: liposome encapsulated actin-myosin networks
In living cells, actin and myosin work together and form an actively contractile acto-myosin network. This network is involved in many cellular functions, including cell locomotion and division. The actin-myosin network is confined within the cell’s plasma membrane, and the network and membrane mutually influence each other. The cell membrane provides a soft confinement that can influence the network structure, but, conversely, the actin network cam also deform the membrane.
To study the interaction of actin-myosin networks with membranes, as well as the resulting structural and mechanical network properties, we built a biomimetic model system. Liposomes encapsulating desired proteins under physiological conditions are produced. The mechanical properties of this synthetic system are studied using high-frequency laser tweezers microrheology and by video microscopy and image analysis of the membrane fluctuations.
More information: Feng-Ching Tsai and Bjorn Stuhrmann
Collaborators:
Cecile Sykes, Institut Curie, France
Prof. Fred MacKintosh (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)
Prof. Buzz Baum (University College London)
Prof. Alessandra Cambi (Radboud University Nijmegen)
