The mechanical properties of epithelial cells are modulated by structural changes in keratin intermediate filament networks. To investigate the relationship between network architecture and viscoelasticity, we assembled keratin filaments from recombinant keratin proteins 8 (K8) and 18 (K18) in the presence of divalent ions (Mg2+). We probed the viscoelastic modulus of the network by tracking the movement of microspheres embedded in the network during assembly, and studied the network architecture using scanning electron microscopy. Addition of Mg2+ at physiological concentrations (<1 mM) resulted in networks whose structure was similar to that of keratin networks in epithelial cells. Moreover, the elastic moduli of networks assembled in vitro were found to be within the same magnitude as those measured in keratin networks of detergent-extracted epithelial cells. These findings suggest that Mg2+-induced filament cross-linking represents a valid model for studying the cytoskeletal mechanics of keratin networks.
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