Rheology of the Cytoskeleton

The cytoskeleton is the primary internal structure of the cell, providing its structural integrity. The rheology and mechanics of the cytoskeleton, therefore, are key to the cell’s ability to accomplish its diverse functions in health and disease. Although the importance of the cytoskeleton is well established, the relationship between the microstructural details and the macroscopic rheological behavior of the cytoskeleton remains elusive. A wide range of computational and phenomenological models as well as experimental techniques have been proposed over the past two decades to describe the cytoskeleton, giving rise to several, often contradictory, theories for describing its rheology. This concise review attempts to bring together the key experimental methods and theoretical and computational models regarding cytoskeletal rheology and mechanics. 433 A nn u. R ev . F lu id M ec h. 2 00 9. 41 :4 33 -4 53 . D ow nl oa de d fr om a rj ou rn al s. an nu al re vi ew s. or g by U ni ve rs ity o f C al if or ni a B er ke le y on 0 1/ 05 /0 9. F or p er so na l u se o nl y. ANRV365-FL41-20 ARI 14 November 2008 9:2