Work

Magnetic manipulation of actin orientation, polymerization, and gliding on myosin using superparamagnetic iron oxide particles

Year: 2011

Type: article

Abstract: The actin cytoskeleton controls cell shape, motility, as well as intracellular molecular trafficking. The ability to remotely manipulate actin is therefore highly desirable as a tool to probe and manipulate biological processes at the molecular level. We demonstrate actin manipulation by labeling actin filaments with superparamagnetic iron oxide particles (IOPs) and applying a uniform magnetic field to affect actin orientation, polymerization and gliding on myosin. We show for the first time magnetic manipulation of magnetizable actin filaments at the molecular level while gliding on a bed of myosin molecules and during polymerization. A model for the magnetic alignment and guiding mechanism is proposed based on the torque from the induced molecular anisotropy due to interactions between neighboring IOPs distributed along magnetically labeled actin molecules.

Source: Nanotechnology

DOI: 10.1088/0957-4484/22/6/065101

Authors: Yun Chen, Stephanie Guzik, James P Sumner, John Moreland, Alan P Koretsky

Institutions: National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Standards and Technology, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Language: English

Topic: Cellular Mechanics and Interactions

Subfield: Cell Biology

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Award: MRI contrast for molecular and cellular imaging of the brain