Dresden 2026 – scientific programme
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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 7: Poster Session I
BP 7.15: Poster
Monday, March 9, 2026, 15:00–17:00, P5
Interactions between single actin and vimentin filaments — •Pallavi Kumari1, Kristian Pajanonot1,2, Komal Bhattacharyya2, Stefan Klumpp2, and Sarah Köster1 — 1Institute for X-Ray Physics, University of Göttingen, Germany — 2Institute for the Dynamics of Complex Systems, University of Göttingen, Germany
The cytoskeleton plays a crucial role in maintaining cellular structure, mechanics, and function. Recent advances suggest that the diverse tasks of the eukaryotic cytoskeleton depend on the interactions between its filamentous components–microtubules, actin filaments, and intermediate filaments. Despite a growing number of studies aimed at a better understanding of these interactions, it remains unclear whether actin and intermediate filaments interact directly in the absence of an auxiliary protein. Previous in vitro studies on reconstituted mixed filament networks have reported inconclusive results. To clearly resolve this inconclusiveness, it is essential to further simplify the system down to the single filament level. Here, we present a study on the direct interactions between actin and vimentin intermediate filaments at the single filament level. Using quadruple optical tweezers combined with confocal microscopy and microfluidics, we precisely control the interaction conditions, visualize the interactions in real time, and measure the forces involved. Our research provides direct evidence of actin-vimentin interactions, together with a quantification of the interaction forces they exert on each other.
Keywords: actin filaments; vimentin intermediate filaments; cytoskeleton; optical tweezers