Issue 35, 2023

Light-activated microtubule-based two-dimensional active nematic

Abstract

We assess the ability of two light responsive kinesin motor clusters to drive dynamics of microtubule-based active nematics: opto-K401, a processive motor, and opto-K365, a non-processive motor. Measurements reveal an order of magnitude improvement in the contrast of nematic flow speeds between maximally- and minimally-illuminated states for opto-K365 motors when compared to opto-K401 construct. For opto-K365 nematics, we characterize both the steady-state flow and defect density as a function of applied light. We also examine the transient behavior as the system switches between steady-states upon changes in light intensities. Although nematic flows reach a steady state within tens of seconds, the defect density exhibits transient behavior for up to 10 minutes, showing a separation between small-scale active flows and system-scale structural states. Our work establishes an experimental platform that can exploit spatiotemporally-heterogeneous patterns of activity to generate targeted dynamical states.

Graphical abstract: Light-activated microtubule-based two-dimensional active nematic

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
02 Mar 2023
Accepted
10 Aug 2023
First published
23 Aug 2023

Soft Matter, 2023,19, 6691-6699

Author version available

Light-activated microtubule-based two-dimensional active nematic

Z. Zarei, J. Berezney, A. Hensley, L. Lemma, N. Senbil, Z. Dogic and S. Fraden, Soft Matter, 2023, 19, 6691 DOI: 10.1039/D3SM00270E

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