Pattern formation under mechanical stress in active biological networks confined inside evaporating droplets

TL;DR

This study uses evaporating droplets to confine and mechanically stimulate active biopolymer networks, revealing dynamic pattern formation influenced by flow-induced shear stress, composition, and substrate properties, offering a novel experimental platform.

Contribution

It introduces a new method employing evaporating droplets as bioreactors to study cytoskeletal dynamics under mechanical stress in a biologically relevant environment.

Findings

Pattern formation driven by flow and shear stress during evaporation

Influence of environment composition and substrate on patterns

Droplets as bioreactors for cellular process investigation

Abstract

Active networks made of biopolymers and motor proteins are valuable bioinspired systems that have been used in the last decades to study the cytoskeleton and its self-organization under mechanical stimulation. Different techniques are available to apply external mechanical cues to such structures. However, they often require setups that hardly mimic the biological environment. In our study we use an evaporating sessile multi-component droplet to confine and mechanically stimulate our active network made of microtubules and kinesin motor proteins. Due to the well-characterized flow field inside an evaporating droplet, we can fathom the coupling of the intrinsic activity of the biological material with the shear stress generated by the flow inside the droplet. We observe the emergence of a dynamic pattern due to this combination of forces that vary during the evaporation period. We delineate the role that the composition of the aqueous environment and the nature of the substrate play in pattern formation. We demonstrate that evaporating droplets may serve as bioreactors that supports cellular processes and allows investigation on the dynamics of membraneless compartments. Such a setup is an original tool for biological structures to understand the mechanisms underlying the activity of the cytoskeleton under stress and, on the other hand, to investigate the potential of such adaptive materials compared to conventional materials.