Title :
The structure and stability of microtubules
Author :
Sept, D. ; Baker, N.A. ; McCammon, J.A.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Biomed. Eng., Washington Univ., St. Louis, MO, USA
Abstract :
The availability of an atomically-detailed tubulin structure has created new possibilities for investigating many features of microtubule structure and function. Through the use of a newly developed method for large scale electrostatic calculations, we are able to explain several key microtubule properties. This talk will present recent results on microtubule stability, plus and minus end polymerization, as well as the physical basis for the observed helix and seam.
Keywords :
bioelectric phenomena; cellular biophysics; electrostatics; free energy; polymerisation; proteins; Brownian dynamics; atomically-detailed tubulin structure; cellular processes; electrostatic interactions; eukaryotic cytoskeleton; free energy calculations; large scale electrostatic calculations; microtubule function; microtubule structure; minus end polymerization; motor proteins; observed helix; plus end polymerization; tubulin dimer; Biochemistry; Biomedical engineering; Chemistry; Electrons; Electrostatics; Large-scale systems; Molecular biophysics; Poisson equations; Polymers; Stability;
Conference_Titel :
Engineering in Medicine and Biology, 2002. 24th Annual Conference and the Annual Fall Meeting of the Biomedical Engineering Society EMBS/BMES Conference, 2002. Proceedings of the Second Joint
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-7612-9
DOI :
10.1109/IEMBS.2002.1136845
