Hydrodynamics and Semi-Flexible Filament Behavior

In this paper we simulate the effect of hydrodynamic interaction on the Brownian dynamics of semiflexible filaments. Semiflexible filaments are those whose entropy-driven bending fluctuations are resisted by the elastic bending stiffness. Semiflexible filaments make up the structural scaffold of cell and tissue matrix, and understanding their dynamic behavior is necessary for studying force transmission and remodeling in cells and tissue matrix. Hydrodynamic interaction refers to force on filament mediated through the local solvent flow around it. The local solvent flow is induced by the motion of the filament itself. Dynamic studies of semiflexible filaments tend to assume a uniform friction coefficient at every point on the filament. However Lagamarsino et al [1] showed that even for a filament in uniform translation, most of the drag is localized at the filament ends, which increases the tendency of the filament to bend and rotate even under a uniform driving force. In this paper we explore how the combined effect of non-uniform friction coefficient due to hydrodynamic screening and the non-uniform local solvent flow due to the filament fluctuations affects its Brownian dynamics.