Evolution of growth modes for polyelectrolyte bundles

ORAL

Abstract

F-actin is a prototypical `hard rod' polyelectrolyte, with a charge density of $\sim $1e/2.5{\AA} and a persistence length of $\sim $5-10 $\mu $m. In the presence of multivalent ions, F-actin can condense into close-packed bundles. In this work, we use fluorescence microscopy to study the detailed growth mode of such bundles, and show how it evolves as a function of salt concentration. Preliminary results indicate that at sufficiently high salt concentrations, the bundle width is relatively insensitive to salt concentration. Moreover, the growth mode of the system changes as a function of salt concentration, varying from lateral growth (which increases the bundle width) to longitudinal growth (which increases the bundle length).

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Authors

  • G.H. Lai

  • Olena V. Zribi

    • Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
    • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Dept. of Physics

  • Golestanian Ramin

    • University of Sheffield, Dept. of Physics

  • Gerard C.L. Wong

    • Dept of Materials Science and Engineering, Dept. of Physics, Dept. of Bioengineering, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
    • University of Illinois, Dept. of Physics, Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering
    • University of Illinois, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Department of Physics, Department of Bioengineering
    • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    • Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Department of Physics, Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Dept. of Physics, Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering, Dept. of Bioengineering