Structural, Mechanical and Functional Properties of Intermediate Filaments from the Atomistic to the Cellular Scales

Living systems have developed effective strategies in adapting to the environment during the last 3.5 billion years. Here we review joint experimental, computational and theoretical multiscale studies of the mechanical properties of intermediate filament (IF) proteins, an important component in the cell's cytoskeleton and a key player in cell mechanics, migration and disease processes including cancer. We review the general field of intermediate filament mechanics, highlight recent advances, challenges, and explain the opportunities that now exist at the interface of engineering and biology. A general theme of our discussion is the consideration of how material properties change at different structural scales and how this relates to biological function, from a bottom-up perspectively that link the nano- to the macroscale.