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High-resolution Imaging and Analysis of Individual Astral Microtubule Dynamics in Budding Yeast
Published on: April 20, 2017
Microtubule dynamics depart from the wormlike chain model
Katja M Taute1, Francesco Pampaloni, Erwin Frey
1Center for Nonlinear Dynamics, University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station C1610, Austin Texas 78712, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|February 1, 2008
Summary
Thermal shape fluctuations in short microtubules deviate from standard models. Their bending stiffness and internal friction depend complexly on length, impacting dynamics.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Soft Matter Physics
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Microtubules are essential cytoskeletal polymers.
- Their thermal fluctuations are crucial for cellular functions.
- Existing models like the wormlike chain model predict specific behaviors.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate thermal shape fluctuations of grafted microtubules.
- Determine the relationship between microtubule length and relaxation times.
- Understand the underlying physical mechanisms, including bending stiffness and internal friction.
Main Methods:
- Utilized high-resolution particle tracking of fluorescently labeled microtubules.
- Analyzed mean square displacement in the transverse coordinate.
- Extracted first mode relaxation times.
Main Results:
- Observed an L2 length dependence for relaxation times in microtubules < 10 microm, deviating from the expected L4.
- Identified a complex length dependence of bending stiffness, linked to microtubule molecular architecture.
- Detected contributions from internal friction for microtubules < 5 microm.
Conclusions:
- The standard wormlike chain model is insufficient for short microtubules.
- Microtubule molecular architecture significantly influences bending stiffness.
- Internal friction plays a role in the dynamics of very short microtubules.
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