Viscoelastic Networks: Forming Cells and Tissues

Abstract

Spatiotemporal changes in viscoelasticity are a key component of the morphogenesis of living systems. Experimental and theoretical findings suggest that cellular- and tissue-scale viscoelasticity can be understood as a collective property emerging from macromolecular and cellular interactions, respectively. Linking the changes in the structural or material properties of cells and tissues, such as material phase transitions, to the microscopic interactions of their constituents, is still a challenge both at the experimental and theoretical level. In this review, we summarize work on the viscoelastic nature of cytoskeletal, extracellular and cellular networks. We then conceptualize viscoelasticity as a network theory problem and discuss its applications in several biological contexts. We propose that the statistical mechanics of networks can be used in the future as a powerful framework to uncover quantitatively the biomechanical basis of viscoelasticity across scales.