Rheology of semiflexible bundle networks with transient linkers.

Abstract

We present a theoretical and computational analysis of the rheology of networks made up of bundles of semiflexible filaments bound by transient cross-linkers. Such systems are ubiquitous in the cytoskeleton and can be formed in vitro using filamentous actin and various cross-linkers. We find that their high-frequency rheology is characterized by a scaling behavior that is quite distinct from that of networks of the well-studied single semiflexible filaments. This regime can be understood theoretically in terms of a length-scale-dependent bending modulus for bundles. Next, we observe new dissipative dynamics associated with the shear-induced disruption of the network at intermediate frequencies. Finally, at low frequencies, we encounter a region of non-Newtonian rheology characterized by power-law scaling. This regime is dominated by bundle dissolution and large-scale rearrangements of the network driven by equilibrium thermal fluctuations.