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Updated: Apr 3, 2026

Directly Measuring Forces Within Reconstituted Active Microtubule Bundles
Published on: May 10, 2022
Generation of stable overlaps between antiparallel filaments
D Johann1, D Goswami1, K Kruse1
1Theoretische Physik, Universität des Saarlandes, Postfach 151150, 66041 Saarbrücken, Germany.
Abstract:
During cell division, sister chromatids are segregated by the mitotic spindle, a bipolar assembly of interdigitating antiparallel polar filaments called microtubules. Establishing a stable overlap region is essential for maintenance of bipolarity, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Using a particle-based stochastic model, we find that the interplay of motors and passive cross-linkers can robustly generate partial overlaps between antiparallel filaments. In this situation, motors reduce the overlap in a length-dependent manner, whereas passive cross-linkers increase it independently of the length. In addition to maintaining structural integrity, passive cross-linkers can thus also have a dynamic role for overlap size regulation.
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