https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/i2004-10102-5
Original Article
Anisotropic elastic properties of microtubules
1
Department of Physics, University of Alberta, T6G 2J1, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
2
Room 1060, The Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, 600 University Avenue, M5G 1X5, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
3
Department of Physics, University of Warwick, CV4 7AL, Coventry, United Kingdom
* e-mail: jtus@phys.ualberta.ca
Received:
23
July
2004
Accepted:
10
February
2005
Published online:
6
April
2005
We review and model the experimental parameters which characterize elastic properties of microtubules. Three macroscopic estimates are made of the anisotropic elastic moduli, accounting for the molecular forces between tubulin dimers: for a longitudinal compression of a microtubule, for a lateral force and for a shearing force. These estimates reflect the anisotropies in these parameters observed in several recent experiments.
PACS: 36.20.-r Macromolecules and polymer molecules – / 87.16.Ka Filaments, microtubules, their networks, and supramolecular assemblies –
© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica and Springer-Verlag, 2005
