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The contribution of the N- and C- terminal domains to the stretching properties of intermediate filaments

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Laurent Kreplak
Laurent Kreplak*
Affiliation:
kreplak@dal.caDalhousie UniversityPhysics and Atmospheric Science, halifax, Canada
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Abstract

The animal cell cytoskeleton consists of three interconnected filament systems: actin containing microfilaments (MFs), microtubules (MTs), and intermediate filaments (IFs). Among these three filaments systems, IFs are the only one that show high extensibility at both the single filament and network levels. In this work, I am presenting a simple model of IFs extensibility based on the current structural knowledge of the filaments. The only extra information added to this model compared to previous ones is the fact that the unfolded N- and C-termini of IF proteins are sandwiched between adjacent coiled-coil rod domains within the filaments. Since we know the contour length and typical persistence length of these unfolded termini, it is possible to predict the persistence length of a single filament, its maximal extensibility and the onset of coiled-coil unfolding. The predictions of the model are in good agreement with experiments on single desmin IFs stretched on a surface by AFM and on vimentin and desmin networks probed by rheology.

Keywords

biomaterialelastic propertiesstress/strain relationship
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 1274: Symposium QQ – Biological Materials and Structures in Physiologically Extreme Conditions and Disease , 2010 , 1274-QQ02-06
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2010

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