Elasticity of basic structural element in anisotropic macromolecular networks

Semiflexible filaments are abundant in biological materials. From cells to the extracellular environment, these kind of filaments are found. They are important for many biological organizations and processes. The maintenance and the change of a cell shape, the cell migration and development depend on the existence of cytoskeletal filaments. Also, the mechanical properties of the extracellular matrix play a role in cell migration and development and in other biological processes. In this thesis, we have studied mechanical properties of some structures made by semiflexible biopolymers. All of the studies in this thesis are based on analytical calculations of wormlike chain model and are valid for filaments in the weakly bending regime