Self-organization in reconstituted actin networks by coupling monomer turnover and contractility

Reconstituted systems of active actin networks are a powerful tool to study the interactions of the various cytoskeletal proteins. Imaging of fluorescently labeled proteins in biomimetic frameworks provides insights in the elusive field of actin motility without the limitations set by the complex and noisy background of the cell. Simultaneously, the field is moving towards the formation of synthetic cells emulating the ill-understood autonomous organization of living matter. Here we provide important steps towards this goal by achieving multiple requirements of reconstructed motility: