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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 14: Poster Session II

BP 14.6: Poster

Dienstag, 10. März 2026, 18:00–21:00, P2

Active stresses induce bending instabilities and oscillatory dynamics in semiflexible filaments — •Sreehari Choorikkat, Jonas Bosche, Ludger Santen, and Reza Shaebani — Theoretical Physics and Center for Biophysics, Saarland University, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany

Despite their high structural rigidity, cytoskeletal filaments can undergo large deformations driven by active stresses generated by motor proteins. We investigate this phenomenon by developing a two-dimensional model in which a discretized filament interacts with an underlying array of molecular motors. Using Monte Carlo simulations, we show that stochastic motor binding and unbinding events can produce a wide range of deformation patterns, including bending, buckling, knot formation, and oscillatory motion. We characterize these dynamical regimes by analyzing the time-resolved mean curvature and by determining how the frequency and amplitude of oscillations depend on key physical parameters such as filament length, bending stiffness, and motor density. Our results delineate the parameter space that supports robust, sustained oscillations and clarify how the coupling between motor activity and filament mechanics generates dynamical instabilities.

Keywords: Active filament dynamics; Motor–filament interactions; Oscillatory deformation regimes; Cytoskeletal bending and buckling; Non-equilibrium filament mechanics