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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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Microtubules are the thickest cytoskeletal filaments with a diameter of 25 nm. In prokaryotic organisms, microtubules are commonly found in locomotory appendages like cilia and flagella. In eukaryotic cells, microtubules form specialized extensions for moving fluid over the surface, like those found in cells lining the intestine.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 28, 2026

Visualizing Actin and Microtubule Coupling Dynamics In Vitro by Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence TIRF Microscopy
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Quantum Information Flow in Microtubule Tryptophan Networks.

Lea Gassab1, Onur Pusuluk2, Travis J A Craddock3

  • 1Departments of Biology, Chemistry, Physics & Astronomy, Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada.

Entropy (Basel, Switzerland)
|February 27, 2026
PubMed
Summary

Networks of aromatic amino acids in microtubules may carry optical information. This study models excitation dynamics, revealing how initial states and structure influence information flow and nonclassical correlations.

Keywords:
cooperative emissionexcitonic transportnon-Hermitian dynamicsnon-Markovianityopen quantum systemsquantum biologyspectral densitysubradiancesuperradiance

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

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Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Quantum Information Science
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Microtubules, cytoskeletal polymers, contain aromatic amino acid residues.
  • These residues, particularly tryptophan, form networks potentially involved in optical information processing.
  • Existing models often use non-Hermitian Hamiltonians for ultraviolet excitation dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To extend excitation dynamics modeling using a Lindblad master equation.
  • To investigate how correlations are generated, routed, and dissipated in microtubule chromophore networks.
  • To analyze the impact of initial preparation, site geometry, and disorder on information flow.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a Lindblad master equation incorporating site geometries and dipole orientations.
  • Simulated ultraviolet excitation dynamics in chromophore networks.
  • Quantified quantum information using L1 norm of coherence, correlated coherence, and logarithmic negativity.
  • Compared localized, delocalized, and eigenmode initial states.

Main Results:

  • Information flow direction and persistence strongly depend on initial preparation.
  • Superradiant components rapidly export correlations; subradiant components retain them.
  • Tubulin unit embedding and lattice scaling enable site-selective routing and strengthen transport.
  • Disorder suppresses long-range transport and reduces correlation transfer.

Conclusions:

  • The study provides a Lindbladian framework for understanding information flow in cytoskeletal networks.
  • Identified structural and dynamical factors crucial for preserving nonclassical correlations in microtubules.
  • Highlights the potential role of microtubule networks in quantum information processing within cells.