How Crosslink Numbers Shape the Large-Scale Physics of Cytoskeletal Materials

Cytoskeletal networks are the main actuators of cellular mechanics, and a foundational example for active matter physics. In cytoskeletal networks, motion is generated on small scales by filaments that push and pull on each other via molecular-scale motors. These local actuations give rise to large scale stresses and motion. To understand how microscopic processes can give rise to self-organized behavior on larger scales it is important to consider what mechanisms mediate long-ranged mechanical interactions in the systems. Two scenarios have been considered in the recent literature. The first are systems which are relatively sparse, in which most of the large scale momentum transfer is mediated by the solvent in which cytoskeletal filaments are suspended. The second, are systems in which filaments are coupled via crosslink molecules throughout. Here, we review the differences and commonalities between the physics of these two regimes. We also survey the literature for the numbers that allow us to place a material within either of these two classes.