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Cells and tissues have the remarkable ability to actively generate the forcesrequired to change their shape. This active mechanical behavior is largelymediated by the actin cytoskeleton, a crosslinked network of actin filamentsthat is contracted by myosin motors. Experiments and active gel theories haveestablished that the length scale over which gel contraction occurs is governedby a balance between molecular motor activity and crosslink density. Bycontrast, the dynamics that govern the contractile activity of the cytoskeletonremain poorly understood. Here we investigate the microscopic dynamics ofreconstituted actin-myosin networks using simultaneous real-space videomicroscopy and Fourier-space dynamic light scattering. Light scattering revealsrich and unanticipated microscopic dynamics that evolve with sample age. Weuncover two dynamical precursors that precede macroscopic gel contraction. Oneis characterized by a progressive acceleration of stress-inducedrearrangements, while the other consists of sudden rearrangements that dependon network adhesion to the boundaries and are highly heterogeneous. Ourfindings reveal an intriguing analogy between self-driven rupture and collapseof active gels to the delayed rupture of passive gels under external loads.

Uncovering the dynamic precursors to motor-driven contraction of active gels