Active flow-driven DNA remodeling generates millimeter-scale mechanical oscillations

Active flow-driven DNA remodeling generates millimeter-scale mechanical oscillations | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Active flow-driven DNA remodeling generates millimeter-scale mechanical oscillations Alexandra Tayar, Maya Levanon, Noa Goldberg, Dvir Cohen, Eran Bouchbinder, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8270541/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract In living systems, DNA undergoes continuous and rhythmic mechanical remodeling through condensation, looping, and disentangling to regulate gene expression, segregate chromosomes, and guide morphogenesis1–4. Here, we demonstrate a purely mechanical route to rhythmic DNA reorganization in a minimal active composite of microtubules, kinesin motors, and DNA. We embed a DNA polymer in an active turbulent microtubule-kinesin fluid5,6, creating a self-morphing material. The active flows stretch and entangle the DNA, forming a self-organized viscoelastic network that resists active stresses and affects flow over large length scales. This mechanical feedback loop progressively amplifies velocity correlations and drives a nonequilibrium phase transition tuned by DNA contour length: from disordered flow to synchronized, millimeter-scale oscillations. We rationalize the phase transition with an active-gel model that predicts a growing length scale and an oscillatory instability emerging from the interplay between activity, orientational order, and self-generated viscoelasticity7,8, rather than chemical signaling. The dependence of the oscillation frequency on system size and activity quantitatively agrees with experiment. Thus, flow-driven DNA remodeling provides a minimal physical route to autonomous, system-spanning oscillations in three dimensions and suggests design principles for programmable soft matter that coordinates, actuates, and reshapes itself. Physical sciences/Materials science/Soft materials/Self-assembly Physical sciences/Physics/Fluid dynamics Physical sciences/Physics/Statistical physics, thermodynamics and nonlinear dynamics/Phase transitions and critical phenomena Physical sciences/Physics/Biological physics Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files VideoS2.mp4 Video S2 VideoS6.mp4 Video S6 VideoS3.mp4 Video S3 SupInfo31225nature.docx Supplementary information VideoS4.mp4 Video S4 VideoS5.mp4 Video S5 VideoS1.mp4 Video S1 VideoS7.mp4 Video S7 Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8270541","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":580580741,"identity":"15accaa8-1315-4268-ae92-177538a84c10","order_by":0,"name":"Alexandra 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