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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 7, 2026

Development of a Microfluidics-Based Approach for Investigating Microtubule Polymer Mechanics

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Published on: May 30, 2025

FLUCTUATING MOTOR FORCES BEND GROWING MICROTUBULES.

Nandini Shekhar¹, Srujana Neelam, Jun Wu

¹Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.

Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering

|September 17, 2013

Summary

Growing microtubules bend due to non-thermal forces. Dynein motor proteins, not just thermal energy, generate these forces, significantly impacting microtubule dynamics and cellular structure.

Keywords:

Microtubule bending dynein myosin

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Last Updated: May 7, 2026

Development of a Microfluidics-Based Approach for Investigating Microtubule Polymer Mechanics

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Published on: May 30, 2025

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Preparation of Segmented Microtubules to Study Motions Driven by the Disassembling Microtubule Ends

Preparation of Segmented Microtubules to Study Motions Driven by the Disassembling Microtubule Ends

Published on: March 15, 2014

Area of Science:

Cell Biology
Biophysics
Cytoskeleton Dynamics

Background:

Microtubules are rigid cytoskeletal polymers essential for cell structure and division.
Growing microtubule tips exhibit significant bending beyond thermal fluctuations, suggesting unknown forces.
Identifying the source of these non-thermal forces is crucial for understanding microtubule dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the source of non-thermal forces responsible for bending growing microtubules.
To determine the roles of motor proteins, specifically dynein and myosin, in microtubule tip bending.

Main Methods:

Live-cell imaging of microtubule polymerization dynamics in NIH-3T3 fibroblasts.
Utilizing EGFP-EB1, a fluorescent marker for growing microtubule plus-ends (+TIPs).
Pharmacological inhibition of dynein and myosin motor proteins to assess their impact on microtubule tip motion.

Main Results:

Dynein inhibition markedly reduced the deviation of growing microtubule tips from their initial paths.
Myosin inhibition showed a modest decrease in microtubule tip fluctuations.
Combined inhibition of dynein and myosin did not further reduce fluctuations compared to dynein inhibition alone.

Conclusions:

Dynein motor proteins are key contributors to the non-thermal forces that bend growing microtubules.
These forces are generated and transmitted through dynein linkages, influencing microtubule polymerization and cellular mechanics.
The findings provide a new model for understanding forces acting on the dynamic microtubule cytoskeleton.