Active Curved Polymers Form Vortex Patterns on Membranes

Denk, Jonas; Huber, Lorenz; Reithmann, Emanuel und Frey, Erwin (2016): Active Curved Polymers Form Vortex Patterns on Membranes. In: Physical Review Letters, Bd. 116, Nr. 17, 178301

Abstract

Recent in vitro experiments with FtsZ polymers show self-organization into different dynamic patterns, including structures reminiscent of the bacterial Z ring. We model FtsZ polymers as active particles moving along chiral, circular paths by Brownian dynamics simulations and a Boltzmann approach. Our two conceptually different methods point to a generic phase behavior. At intermediate particle densities, we find self-organization into vortex structures including closed rings. Moreover, we show that the dynamics at the onset of pattern formation is described by a generalized complex Ginzburg-Landau equation.

• Dokumententyp: Zeitschriftenartikel
• Fakultät: Physik
• Themengebiete: 500 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik > 530 Physik
• ISSN: 0031-9007
• Sprache: Englisch