000168366 001__ 168366
000168366 005__ 20260204153543.0
000168366 0247_ $$2doi$$a10.7554/eLife.93097
000168366 0248_ $$2sideral$$a147804
000168366 037__ $$aART-2025-147804
000168366 041__ $$aeng
000168366 100__ $$aMirza, Waleed
000168366 245__ $$aTheory of active self-organization of dense nematic structures in the actin cytoskeleton
000168366 260__ $$c2025
000168366 5060_ $$aAccess copy available to the general public$$fUnrestricted
000168366 5203_ $$aThe actin cytoskeleton is remarkably adaptable and multifunctional. It often organizes into nematic bundles such as contractile rings or stress fibers. However, how a uniform and isotropic actin gel self-organizes into dense nematic bundles is not fully understood. Here, using an active gel model accounting for nematic order and density variations, we identify an active patterning mechanism leading to localized dense nematic structures. Linear stability analysis and nonlinear finite element simulations establish the conditions for nematic bundle self-assembly and how active gel parameters control the architecture, orientation, connectivity, and dynamics of self-organized patterns. Finally, we substantiate with discrete network simulations the main requirements for nematic bundle formation according to our theory, namely increased active tension perpendicular to the nematic direction and generalized active forces conjugate to nematic order. Our work portrays actin gels as reconfigurable active materials with a spontaneous tendency to develop patterns of dense nematic bundles.
000168366 536__ $$9info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MICINN/ICJ2018-035270-I
000168366 540__ $$9info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess$$aby$$uhttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.es
000168366 655_4 $$ainfo:eu-repo/semantics/article$$vinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
000168366 700__ $$0(orcid)0000-0002-9361-4794$$aDe Corato, Marco$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza
000168366 700__ $$aPensalfini, Marco
000168366 700__ $$aVilanova, Guillermo
000168366 700__ $$aTorres-Sánchez, Alejandro
000168366 700__ $$aArroyo, Marino
000168366 7102_ $$15001$$2600$$aUniversidad de Zaragoza$$bDpto. Ciencia Tecnol.Mater.Fl.$$cÁrea Mecánica de Fluidos
000168366 773__ $$g13 (2025), [33 pp.]$$peLife (Cambridge)$$teLife$$x2050-084X
000168366 8564_ $$s16309594$$uhttps://zaguan.unizar.es/record/168366/files/texto_completo.pdf$$yVersión publicada
000168366 8564_ $$s2404911$$uhttps://zaguan.unizar.es/record/168366/files/texto_completo.jpg?subformat=icon$$xicon$$yVersión publicada
000168366 909CO $$ooai:zaguan.unizar.es:168366$$particulos$$pdriver
000168366 951__ $$a2026-02-04-13:14:36
000168366 980__ $$aARTICLE