Gene-driven self-morphing microtubule-based active matter

Abstract

Materials that change shape or flow typically rely on external fields, photochemical cues or compositions fixed at assembly. Here we introduce a self-morphing active material whose mechanical behaviour is genetically programmed and executed autonomously. By embedding cell-free gene expression within a dense microtubule network, DNA instructions synthesize molecular motors, cross-linkers and transcription factors that continuously generate and regulate active stresses. This experimental platform enables gene-circuit architectures to directly program active-matter dynamics, producing steady, pulsed, arrested and oscillatory mechanical states from genetically encoded biochemical regulation alone. A coarse-grained reaction-mechanics model quantitatively captures these behaviours and shows how gene-circuit parameters, including expression rates, degradation kinetics and regulatory topology, govern the emergence and temporal evolution of active-matter states. Together, these results establish gene circuits as programmable control layers for active matter, providing a general strategy for engineering genetically encoded mechanochemical materials and autonomous active systems.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Nature Materials, 2026 · DOI ↗