Microtubule self-organization is gravity-dependent
- 4 July 2000
- journal article
- Published by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
- Vol. 97 (15), 8364-8368
- https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.140029597
Abstract
Although weightlessness is known to affect living cells, the manner by which this occurs is unknown. Some reaction-diffusion processes have been theoretically predicted as being gravity-dependent. Microtubules, a major constituent of the cellular cytoskeleton, self-organize in vitro by way of reaction-diffusion processes. To investigate how self-organization depends on gravity, microtubules were assembled under low gravity conditions produced during space flight. Contrary to the samples formed on an in-flight 1 x g centrifuge, the samples prepared in microgravity showed almost no self-organization and were locally disordered.Keywords
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