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 cytoskeleton is the major mechanical structure of the cell; it is a complex, dynamic
biopolymer network comprising microtubules, actin, and intermediate filaments. Both the …

Sperm motility is crucial to reproductive success in sexually reproducing organisms.
Impaired sperm movement causes male infertility, which is increasing globally. Sperm are …

Long-lived microtubules endow the eukaryotic cell with long-range transport abilities. While
long-lived microtubules are acetylated on Lys40 of α-tubulin (αK40), acetylation takes place …

Silk features exceptional mechanical properties such as high tensile strength and great
extensibility, making it one of the toughest materials known. The exceptional strength of …

Microtubules—which define the shape of axons, cilia and flagella, and provide tracks for
intracellular transport—can be highly bent by intracellular forces, and microtubule structure …

Cell movement is a complex phenomenon primarily driven by the actin network beneath the
cell membrane, and can be divided into three general components: protrusion of the leading …

To elucidate the dynamic and functional role of a cell within the tissue it belongs to, it is
essential to understand its material properties. The cell is a viscoelastic material with highly …

Despite their overwhelming complexity, living cells display a high degree of internal
mechanical and functional organization which can largely be attributed to the intracellular …

During cell division, kinetochore microtubules (KMTs) provide a physical linkage between
the chromosomes and the rest of the spindle. KMTs in mammalian cells are organized into …