Principal Investigator Zhao Qin
Intermediate filaments are one of the three major components of the cytoskeleton in eukaryotic cells. It was discovered during the recent decades that intermediate filament proteins play key roles to reinforce cells subjected to large-deformation as well as participate in signal transduction. For this research I investigate the material function of intermediate filaments under various extreme mechanical conditions as well as disease states. I start with a full atomistic model and study its response to mechanical stresses. Learning from the mechanical response obtained from atomistic simulations, I build mesoscopic models following the finer-trains-coarser principles. By using this multiple-scale model, I present a detailed analysis of the mechanical properties and associated deformation mechanisms of intermediate filament network. Mechanisms including a transition from alpha-helices to beta-sheets results in a characteristic nonlinear force-extension curve, which leads to a delocalization of mechanical energy and prevents catastrophic fracture.