Article,
A bottom-up approach to cell mechanics
NATURE PHYSICS, 2 (4): 231-238 (April 2006)
DOI: {10.1038/nphys260}
Abstract
The mechanical stability and integrity of biological cells is provided
by the cytoskeleton, a semidilute meshwork of biopolymers. Recent
research has underscored its role as a dynamic, multifunctional muscle,
whose passive and active mechanical performance is highly heterogeneous
in space and time and intimately linked to many biological functions,
such that it may serve as a sensitive indicator for the health or
developmental state of the cell. In vitro reconstitution of `functional
modules' of the cytoskeleton is now seen as a way of balancing the
mutually conflicting demands for simplicity, which is required for
systematic and quantitative studies, and for a sufficient degree of
complexity that allows a faithful representation of biological
functions. This bottom-up strategy, aimed at unravelling biological
complexity from its physical basis, builds on the latest advances in
technology, experimental design and theoretical modelling, which are
reviewed in this progress report.
