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Title: Strain Distributions and Structural Changes in Motor Driven Gels (Final Report)

Abstract

The goal of this project was to study the effects of DNA-based, force-generating motor proteins on the structure and dynamics of a DNA hydrogel. Motor proteins are nanoscale transducers, converting chemical energy embedded in the solution into local mechanical work on hydrogel strands, and thus potentially driving structural changes and/or non-equilibrium dynamics within the gel material. To explore this, we used self-assembly to create condensed DNA phases, and activated the phases with proteins. The specific aim was to study the deformations (strain fields) generated within a DNA gel by motor forces. We succeeded in this aim, developing methods to experimentally create gel/motor systems, and measure strain with high spatio-temporal resolution. A key finding was that simple continuum strain-field models fail to describe the data. A second major outcome was the development of novel models of hydrogel elasticity incorporating solvent effects that can be used to model dynamic motor-driven strains. A third major outcome was to learn how to control the phase and structure of condensed DNA particles, including both liquid-crystalline behavior, and the formation of DNA liquids.

Authors:
ORCiD logo [1];  [1];  [1]
  1. Univ. of California, Santa Barbara, CA (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Univ. of California, Santa Barbara, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
OSTI Identifier:
1509714
Report Number(s):
DOE-UCSB-0014427
DOE Contract Number:  
SC0014427
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

Citation Formats

Saleh, Omar, Fygenson, Deborah, and McMeeking, Robert. Strain Distributions and Structural Changes in Motor Driven Gels (Final Report). United States: N. p., 2019. Web. doi:10.2172/1509714.
Saleh, Omar, Fygenson, Deborah, & McMeeking, Robert. Strain Distributions and Structural Changes in Motor Driven Gels (Final Report). United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/1509714
Saleh, Omar, Fygenson, Deborah, and McMeeking, Robert. 2019. "Strain Distributions and Structural Changes in Motor Driven Gels (Final Report)". United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/1509714. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1509714.
@article{osti_1509714,
title = {Strain Distributions and Structural Changes in Motor Driven Gels (Final Report)},
author = {Saleh, Omar and Fygenson, Deborah and McMeeking, Robert},
abstractNote = {The goal of this project was to study the effects of DNA-based, force-generating motor proteins on the structure and dynamics of a DNA hydrogel. Motor proteins are nanoscale transducers, converting chemical energy embedded in the solution into local mechanical work on hydrogel strands, and thus potentially driving structural changes and/or non-equilibrium dynamics within the gel material. To explore this, we used self-assembly to create condensed DNA phases, and activated the phases with proteins. The specific aim was to study the deformations (strain fields) generated within a DNA gel by motor forces. We succeeded in this aim, developing methods to experimentally create gel/motor systems, and measure strain with high spatio-temporal resolution. A key finding was that simple continuum strain-field models fail to describe the data. A second major outcome was the development of novel models of hydrogel elasticity incorporating solvent effects that can be used to model dynamic motor-driven strains. A third major outcome was to learn how to control the phase and structure of condensed DNA particles, including both liquid-crystalline behavior, and the formation of DNA liquids.},
doi = {10.2172/1509714},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1509714}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Apr 29 00:00:00 EDT 2019},
month = {Mon Apr 29 00:00:00 EDT 2019}
}

Works referenced in this record:

Poroelastic toughening in polymer gels: A theoretical and numerical study
journal, September 2016


Tuning phase and aging of DNA hydrogels through molecular design
journal, January 2017


A Model for the Mullins Effect in Multinetwork Elastomers
journal, October 2017


Electrostatics and depletion determine competition between 2D nematic and 3D bundled phases of rod-like DNA nanotubes
journal, January 2016


Engineering the Mechanical Behavior of Polymer Networks with Flexible Self-Assembled V-Shaped Monomers
journal, April 2018


A viscoelastic constitutive law for hydrogels
journal, February 2017


Salt-dependent properties of a coacervate-like, self-assembled DNA liquid
journal, January 2018