Active Extensile Hydrogels Actuated by Living Polymers of the Bacterial Cytokinetic Protein FtsZ

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new class of biohybrid hydrogels powered by bacterial FtsZ polymers that can autonomously modulate their mechanical properties through active, extensile stresses, enabling programmable softening and fluidization.

Contribution

It demonstrates the integration of living FtsZ polymers into hydrogels to create extensile, dissipative active materials with programmable mechanical behavior, a novel approach in active matter design.

Findings

FtsZ filaments self-organize into treadmilling structures within hydrogels.

Active stresses induce reversible softening, swelling, and fluidization of the gel.

Theoretical modeling reveals negative mechanical permittivity due to filament activity.

Abstract

Active materials capable of autonomously modulating their mechanical properties are foundational to the development of next-generation soft technologies. Here, we introduce a novel class of extensible biohybrid hydrogels powered by living polymers of the bacterial cytokinetic protein FtsZ. When embedded within a polyacrylamide (PA) matrix, GTP-fueled FtsZ filaments self-organize into treadmilling structures that generate internal extensible stresses, driving reversible softening, swelling, and fluidization of the composite FtsZ-PA hydrogel network. Unlike conventional contractile biopolymer systems, these hybrid gels exhibit stress-induced softening, yield under minimal deformation, and suppress thermal flow barriers-hallmarks of dissipative, extensile metamaterials. Microscopic particle tracking reveals active non-Gaussian fluctuations, while bulk rheology confirms programmable, concentration-dependent reductions in both stiffness and viscosity. Theoretical modeling shows that internal filament activity gives rise to a negative mechanical permittivity, establishing a new paradigm in materials science in which embedded FtsZ living polymers dynamically program active matter mechanics from within. These findings open new avenues for the design of modular, reconfigurable systems in adaptive biomaterials, soft robotics, and synthetic active matter.