Browse our latest Physics of Living Systems articles

A novel strategy is presented for quantitatively measuring protein-DNA and protein-protein interactions that regulate transcription in living cells.

Genetically altering the size of the molecular spring element in the giant protein titin established that titin determines the stiffness of skeletal muscle and the number of sarcomeres in series.

Biological shapes and morphological transitions can emerge from combining directed interactions between cells with apical-basal and planar cell polarity.

Arterial myocyte PKD2 channels are activated by vasoconstrictor stimuli, which increases blood pressure, are upregulated during hypertension and cell-specific knockout in vivo reduces both physiological blood pressure and hypertension.

Distinct molecular functions contribute to the same material property at larger scales leading to degenerate functionality.

Bone cells exposed to physiological forces release ATP through repairable membrane injury, generating an intercellular signal that conveys the destructive potential of forces and the adaptive capacity of endangered cells.

Feedback sensing of the intracellular calcium concentration suffices to reproduce the diversity of ionic conductances underlying normal cardiac electromechanical function in a genetically diverse population of mice.

Free optical steering of spiral waves by attraction-based dragging of their cores in optogenetically modified cardiac tissue.

Ezrin, an important actin-membrane linker, can zip adjacent membranes, be enriched to positively-curved membranes when phosphorylated and to negatively-curved membranes through a direct interaction with membrane curvature sensor I-BAR domain proteins.

In triple-layered rotavirus particles, strong interaction between the external and middle layers provides high mechanical strength for protection tasks, while weaker interaction between the middle and inner layers favors transcription.