Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 2, 2026

Reconstitution of Septin Assembly at Membranes to Study Biophysical Properties and Functions
Published on: July 28, 2022
Nanoscale assembly in biological systems: from neuronal cytoskeletal proteins to curvature stabilizing lipids
Cyrus R Safinya1, Uri Raviv, Daniel J Needleman
1Materials, Physics, and Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Departments, University of California-Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA. safinya@mrl.ucsb.edu
Abstract:
The review will describe experiments inspired by the rich variety of bundles and networks of interacting microtubules (MT), neurofilaments, and filamentous-actin in neurons where the nature of the interactions, structures, and structure-function correlations remain poorly understood. We describe how three-dimensional (3D) MT bundles and 2D MT bundles may assemble, in cell free systems in the presence of counter-ions, revealing structures not predicted by polyelectrolyte theories. Interestingly, experiments reveal that the neuronal protein tau, an abundant MT-associated-protein in axons, modulates the MT diameter providing insight for the control of geometric parameters in bio- nanotechnology. In another set of experiments we describe lipid-protein-nanotubes, and lipid nano-tubes and rods, resulting from membrane shape evolution processes involving protein templates and curvature stabilizing lipids. Similar membrane shape changes, occurring in cells for the purpose of specific functions, are induced by interactions between membranes and proteins. The biological materials systems described have applications in bio-nanotechnology.
Related Concept Videos
Assembly of Cytoskeletal Filaments
Assembly of Complex Microtubule Structures
Mechanisms of Membrane-bending
Membrane bending can happen due to intrinsic changes in lipid composition or extrinsic association with different proteins. The proteins involved...
Mechanism of Filopodia Formation
Their main function is to guide migrating cells during normal tissue morphogenesis or cancer metastasis by recognizing and making initial contacts with the extracellular matrix. However, they can also act as stationary cell anchors or help to establish communication...
Mechanism of Lamellipodia Formation
Cytoskeletal Coordination in Cell Migration

