Effects of cross-link and myosin motor concentrations on active muscle gel contraction time and extent
Name
1013187538-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
2.73 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
4ee8804bc665e54343eeb99b8c47ff4b
Author(s)
Babcock, Joseph M. (Joseph Michel)
Advisor(s)
Anette Hosoi.
Date Issued
2017
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
The cytoskeleton is a crucial network of actin filaments that gives the cell its shape, assists in organelle organization, and allows for cell movement. Active muscle gels are a class of materials that that mimic the functionality of the cytoskeleton. Utilizing myosin II motor proteins to initiate contraction events in actin networks, active muscle gels have the unique potential of acting as microscopic actuators. Two challenges currently faced by active muscle gels are their slow contraction time and weak contraction forces. This thesis seeks to achieve contraction events in a lab setting and observe how contraction speed and extent varies with the concentration of myosin motors and alpha-actinin crosslinks.
Description
Thesis: S.B., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 2017.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (page 26).
Subjects
Mechanical Engineering.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
Terms of Use
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