Abstract
Active forces drive critical biological processes such as spontaneous organization and shape change during cell division. Here, we present a minimal hydrodynamic model leading to a unified description of self-organization and division in nematic droplets through active polarity sorting of cytoskeletal filaments by molecular motors. We find that motors self-organize within droplets while structuring filaments into polarized aster defects. At large activity, motors deform droplets leading to multidroplet chains and droplet division, consistent with experiments on actomyosin tactoids. We predict droplet steady-state phase diagrams that inform programmable shape changes in confined soft materials.
Highlights
Active mechanical forces enable biological cells, to move, change shape, organize components, and divide
Cytoskeletal systems can form active nematic states characterized by large-scale flows and chaotic dynamics, but these can be transient since motors eventually cluster causing localized stresses [20]
We employ numerical simulations to explore the consequences of motor activity on the dynamics and morphology of phase-separating nematic droplets
Summary
Active mechanical forces enable biological cells, to move, change shape, organize components, and divide. The directed “walking” of motors on filaments, along with motorbased filament crosslinking, can lead to polar order, where filaments point in the same direction in local regions Such polar active states, including their defect structures such as asters and vortices [21], are fruitfully described by hydrodynamic theories for bulk systems [22,23,24,25,26,27,28]. Using numerical simulations, complemented by theoretical analysis, we show that the resulting motor-filament self-organization destabilizes droplets This gives rise to a rich array of experimentally observed shapes including deformed, divided, and multidroplet chains that can be generated through tuning motor activity
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
