Engineering stability, longevity, and miscibility of microtubule-based active fluids

Pooja Chandrakar; John Berezney; Bezia Lemma; Bernard Hishamunda; Angela Berry; Kun-Ta Wu; Radhika Subramanian; Johnson Chung; Daniel Needleman; Jeff Gelles; Zvonimir Dogic

doi:10.1039/D1SM01289D

Engineering stability, longevity, and miscibility of microtubule-based active fluids

Pooja Chandrakar,

^ab John Berezney,^a Bezia Lemma,^abc Bernard Hishamunda,^a Angela Berry,^da Kun-Ta Wu,

^ae Radhika Subramanian,^f Johnson Chung,^g Daniel Needleman,^chi Jeff Gelles

^g and Zvonimir Dogic

*^ab

Author affiliations

* Corresponding authors

^a The Martin Fisher School of Physics, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02454, USA

^b Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA
E-mail: zdogic@physics.ucsb.edu

^c School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA

^d Hampton University School of Pharmacy, 121 William R. Harvey Way, Hampton, VA 23668, USA

^e Department of Physics, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 100 Institute Road, Worcester, Massachusetts 01609, USA

^f Department of Genetics, HMS and Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA

^g Department of Biochemistry, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02454, USA

^h Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA

ⁱ Center for Computational Biology, Flatiron Institute, New York, NY 10010, USA

Abstract

Microtubule-based active matter provides insight into the self-organization of motile interacting constituents. We describe several formulations of microtubule-based 3D active isotropic fluids. Dynamics of these fluids is powered by three types of kinesin motors: a processive motor, a non-processive motor, and a motor which is permanently linked to a microtubule backbone. Another modification uses a specific microtubule crosslinker to induce bundle formation instead of a non-specific polymer depletant. In comparison to the already established system, each formulation exhibits distinct properties. These developments reveal the temporal stability of microtubule-based active fluids while extending their reach and the applicability.

Soft Matter

Engineering stability, longevity, and miscibility of microtubule-based active fluids

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