Mechanics and Buckling of Biopolymeric Shells and Cell Nuclei

We study a Brownian dynamics simulation model of a biopolymeric shell deformed by axial forces exerted at opposing poles. The model exhibits two distinct, linear force-extension regimes, with the response to small tensions governed by linear elasticity and the response to large tensions governed by an effective spring constant that scales with radius as . When extended beyond the initial linear elastic regime, the shell undergoes a hysteretic, temperature-dependent buckling transition. We experimentally observe this buckling transition by stretching and imaging the lamina of isolated cell nuclei.

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