Characteristic frequencies of localized stress relaxation in scaling-law rheology of living cells.

ABSTRACT: Living cells are known to exhibit power-law viscoelastic responses and localized stress relaxation behaviors in the frequency spectrum. However, the precise interplay between molecular-scale cytoskeletal dynamics and macroscale dynamical rheological responses remains elusive. Here, we propose a mechanism-based general theoretical model showing that cytoskeleton dissociation generates a peak in the loss modulus as a function of frequency, while the cytoplasmic viscosity promotes its recovery, producing a subsequent trough. We define two characteristic frequencies (ω_c1 and ω_c2) related to the dissociation rate of crosslinkers and the viscosity of the cytoplasm, where the loss modulus 1) exhibits peak and trough values for ω_c1<ω_c2 and 2) monotonical

SUBMITTER: Hang JT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11739877 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature