Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Schek HT
PROVIDER: S-EPMC2094715 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Sep
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Schek Henry T HT Gardner Melissa K MK Cheng Jun J Odde David J DJ Hunt Alan J AJ
Current biology : CB 20070802 17
<h4>Background</h4>The labile nature of microtubules is critical for establishing cellular morphology and motility, yet the molecular basis of assembly remains unclear. Here we use optical tweezers to track microtubule polymerization against microfabricated barriers, permitting unprecedented spatial resolution.<h4>Results</h4>We find that microtubules exhibit extensive nanometer-scale variability in growth rate and often undergo shortening excursions, in some cases exceeding five tubulin layers, ...[more]