Is cell rheology governed by nonequilibrium-to-equilibrium transition of noncovalent bonds?

ABSTRACT: A living cell deforms or flows in response to mechanical stresses. A recent report shows that dynamic mechanics of living cells depends on the timescale of mechanical loading, in contrast to the prevailing view of some authors that cell rheology is timescale-free. Yet the molecular basis that governs this timescale-dependent behavior is elusive. Using molecular dynamics simulations of protein-protein noncovalent interactions, we show that multipower laws originate from a nonequilibrium-to-equilibrium transition: when the loading rate is faster than the transition rate, the power-law exponent alpha(1) is weak; when the loading rate is slower than the transition rate, the exponent alpha(2) is strong. The model predictions are confirmed in both embryonic stem cells and differentiated cells. E

SUBMITTER: Chowdhury F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2599814 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature