The cytoskeleton of animal cells is one of the most complicated and functionally versatile
structures, involved in processes such as endocytosis, cell division, intra-cellular transport …

Tight coupling between biochemical and mechanical properties of the actin cytoskeleton
drives a large range of cellular processes including polarity establishment, morphogenesis …

Hydrogel-based devices are widely used as flexible electronics, biosensors, soft robots, and
intelligent human-machine interfaces. In these applications, high stretchability, low …

The microtubule network of cardiac muscle cells has unique architectural and biophysical
features to accommodate the demands of the working heart. Advances in live-cell imaging …

This is an overview of theoretical approaches to semiflexible polymers and their networks.
Such semiflexible polymers have large bending rigidities that can compete with the entropic …

The ability of a eukaryotic cell to resist deformation, to transport intracellular cargo and to
change shape during movement depends on the cytoskeleton, an interconnected network of …

Branched actin networks—created by the Arp2/3 complex, capping protein, and a nucleation
promoting factor—generate and transmit forces required for many cellular processes, but …

The cells and tissues that make up our body manage contradictory mechanical demands. It
is crucial for their survival to be able to withstand large mechanical loads, but it is equally …

Mechanical forces direct a host of cellular and tissue processes. Although much emphasis
has been placed on cell-adhesion complexes as force sensors, the forces must nevertheless …

We describe an active polymer network in which processive molecular motors control
network elasticity. This system consists of actin filaments cross-linked by filamin A (FLNa) …