Figure 4.

Network rheological behavior was gradually altered with increasing calponin concentration. Bulk rheology stress-strain curves of cross-linked actin networks with calponin/actin molar ratios ranging from 0:1 to 2:1 revealed a gradual shift in yield strain, ${\gamma }_{max}$ (A), and onset of strain stiffening, ${\gamma }_{crit}$ (B), as the concentration of calponin was increased. These changes were evident even at subsaturating concentrations of calponin, suggesting that actin networks partially decorated with calponin exhibit changes similar to, but less pronounced than, those seen in fully decorated networks.