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Microtubule self-organization is gravity-dependent.

C Papaseit¹, N Pochon, J Tabony

¹Laboratoire Résonance Magnétique en Biologie Métabolique, Département de Biologie Moléculaire et Structurale, Direction des Sciences du Vivant, Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique Grenoble, 17 rue des Martyrs, 38054 Grenoble Cedex 9, France.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

|July 6, 2000

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Gravity significantly impacts cell self-organization. Microtubule self-organization, a key cellular process, was disrupted in microgravity, unlike in simulated gravity conditions.

Area of Science:

Cell biology
Biophysics
Space science

Background:

Living cells are known to be affected by weightlessness, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.
Reaction-diffusion processes are theoretical models for cell self-organization that may be influenced by gravity.
Microtubules, essential components of the cytoskeleton, exhibit self-organization through reaction-diffusion mechanisms in vitro.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the influence of gravity on the self-organization of microtubules.
To determine if microtubule self-organization is a gravity-dependent process.

Main Methods:

Microtubules were assembled under conditions of low gravity during space flight.
A 1 x g centrifuge was used in-flight to provide a control condition with simulated gravity.

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Main Results:

Microtubule samples assembled in microgravity showed a significant lack of self-organization.
These microgravity samples were characterized by local disorder.
In contrast, samples prepared on the 1 x g centrifuge exhibited self-organization.

Conclusions:

Microtubule self-organization is a gravity-dependent process.
Reduced gravity conditions, such as those in space flight, disrupt the self-organization of microtubules.
These findings highlight the role of gravity in fundamental cellular processes.