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Microtubules are hollow cylindrical filaments having a diameter of approximately 25 nm and a length that varies from 200 nm to 25 μm. GTP-bound tubulin subunits form αβ-heterodimers for microtubule assembly. These core building blocks interact longitudinally, polymerizing into protofilaments. The protofilaments then interact with one another through lateral bonding forces to form stable cylindrical microtubules. These cylindrical filaments are dynamic as they undergo repeated...
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Microtubules are dynamic structures that undergo continuous assembly and disassembly. They originate from specialized multi-protein complexes known as microtubule organizing centers or MTOCs. Within the MTOC, the point of origin of the microtubule is known as the minus end, while the end radiating outward is the plus end. Microtubules serve two primary functions — the organization of spindle complexes to separate sister chromatids during mitotic or meiotic cell division and the formation...
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Complex microtubule structures are present in resting cells and in dividing cells. In resting cells, they are responsible for maintaining the cellular architecture, tracks for intracellular transport, positioning of organelles, assembly of cilia and flagella. They mediate the bipolar spindle assembly for chromosomal segregation and positioning of the cell division plate in dividing cells. The formation of microtubule complex structures depends on the cell type, cell stage, and cell function.
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Forming, Confining, and Observing Microtubule-Based Active Nematics
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Forming, Confining, and Observing Microtubule-Based Active Nematics

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Multiscale Microtubule Dynamics in Active Nematics.

Linnea M Lemma1,2, Michael M Norton1, Alexandra M Tayar2

  • 1Department of Physics, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02453, USA.

Physical Review Letters
|October 15, 2021
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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Motor-driven microtubule dynamics in active nematics show slower extension in dense systems compared to isolated pairs. This highlights challenges in modeling multifilament interactions for active matter.

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Area of Science:

  • Physics
  • Biophysics
  • Soft Matter Physics

Background:

  • Microtubule-based active nematics exhibit complex dynamics driven by molecular motors.
  • Extensile motion of microtubule bundles powers large-scale chaotic behavior in these systems.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantify interfilament sliding motion in both isolated microtubule bundles and dense active nematics.
  • To compare the extension speeds and dynamics between isolated and dense systems.
  • To provide quantitative data for developing multiscale models of active nematics.

Main Methods:

  • Experimental quantification of interfilament sliding motion.
  • Analysis of extension speeds in isolated microtubule pairs.
  • Characterization of filament motion in dense 2D active nematics.

Main Results:

  • Extension speed of isolated microtubule pairs matches molecular motor stepping speed.
  • Dense 2D active nematics show significantly slower net extension.
  • Interfilament sliding speeds in dense systems are widely distributed, with both contractile and extensile motions observed.

Conclusions:

  • Connecting isolated bundle extension rates to dense active nematic behavior is challenging due to complex multifilament interactions.
  • Measurements provide crucial quantitative data for multiscale modeling of active nematic systems.
  • Filament interactions in dense active nematics lead to diverse and slower collective motion than predicted by isolated pair dynamics.