Abstract
Networks of filamentous polymers are a common feature of cells and biological tissues. From the cross-linked gels providing strength to blood clots and extracellular matrices to the dynamic cytoskeleton that undergoes gel-sol transitions as cells move and the more obscure matrix within the cell nucleus, nearly all cellular surfaces are interconnected by a series of fluctuating but continuous meshworks. In part the function of these networks is mechanical, and their viscoelasticity, together with new methods to observe the dynamics of single polymer strands within the network, has made biological polymers, especially those derived from the cytoskeleton, attractive materials by which to test theories of polymer physics. The unusual viscoelasticity of these networks is crucial to their biological function to provide mechanical continuity throughout cells and tissues. In addition, formation and disassembly of networks composed of the polyanionic filaments comprising the cytoskeleton has many consequences for sequestration of proteins and metabolites and in providing directionality and spatial segregation to biochemical reactions and signal transduction pathways. Concepts related to network formation may transform the way intracellular biochemistry and signaling are understood.
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Janmey, P.A., Shah, J.V., Tang, J.X. (1998). Complex Networks in Cell Biology. In: Beysens, D.A., Forgacs, G. (eds) Dynamical Networks in Physics and Biology. Centre de Physique des Houches, vol 10. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-03524-5_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-03524-5_2
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