Sun, 27 Jul 2008 11:03:08 BST CiteULike: dchen Kasza http://www.citeulike.org/user/dchen/author/Kasza CiteULike.org en-gb Copyright © 2004-2008 citeulike.org http://www.citeulike.org/user/dchen/article/2688177 <i>Current Opinion in Cell Biology, Vol. 19, No. 1. (February 2007), pp. 101-107.</i><br /><br />To elucidate the dynamic and functional role of a cell within the tissue it belongs to, it is essential to understand its material properties. The cell is a viscoelastic material with highly unusual properties. Measurements of the mechanical behavior of cells are beginning to probe the contribution of constituent components to cell mechanics. Reconstituted cytoskeletal protein networks have been shown to mimic many aspects of the mechanical properties of cells, providing new insight into the origin of cellular behavior. These networks are highly nonlinear, with an elastic modulus that depends sensitively on applied stress. Theories can account for some of the measured properties, but a complete model remains elusive. The cell as a material Karen Kasza Amy Rowat Jiayu Liu Thomas Angelini Clifford Brangwynne Gijsje Koenderink David Weitz doi:10.1016/j.ceb.2006.12.002 Current Opinion in Cell Biology, Vol. 19, No. 1. (February 2007), pp. 101-107. 2008-04-18T15:21:56-00:00 2007 Current Opinion in Cell Biology 19 1 101 107 biology review weitz