Protein-Based Polymers Provide Inspiration for Materials Research (VIDEO)
Caption
This video clip shows a dense network of protein-based polymers, termed F-actin, as it undergoes internal flows and movements that ultimately result in contraction at the center of the cell, facilitating division into two daughter cells. The myosin motors (green) drive the actin filaments (red). Such actin networks within living cells exemplify complex dynamic behavior that members of the University of Chicago's Materials Research Science and Engineering Center aim to understand, reconstitute outside the cell, and engineer for useful novel materials.
Credit
Ed Munro
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News organizations may use this video in connection with reports about materials research. Please credit Ed Munro, University of Chicago.
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