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Nanomat 2019
Nano Research & Applications
ISSN: 2471-9838
Page 37
January 28-29, 2019
Barcelona, Spain
18
th
Edition of International Conference on
Emerging Trends in
Materials Science and
Nanotechnology
M
icrotubules (MTs) are the major part of cytoskeleton. They
are long polymeric structures existing in eukaryotic cells.
MTs are hollow cylinders that spread between a nucleus and cell
membrane. They are involved in nucleic and cell divisions and
organization of intracellular structure. The most important for
this work is the fact that MTs also serve as a network for motor
proteins. There are two distinct families of MT associated motor
proteins that move along MTs carrying molecular and vesicular
cargos. These cellular motors with dimensions of less than 100
nmconvert chemical energy into useful work. Contrary to ordinary
MTs, those existing in neuronal cells are uniquely stable and
consequently, neurons once formed don’t divide. This stability is
crucial as there are evidences that neuronal MTs are responsible
for processing, storage and transduction of biological information
in a brain. Like all biological systems, MTs are nonlinear in their
nature. Investigation of nonlinear dynamics of MTs has yielded to
solitary waves moving along MTs. A recently established general
model of MTs is explained. It is shown that there are three types of
these solitarywaves. They are: kink solitons, bell-type solitons and
localized modulated waves called breathers. Two mathematical
procedures for solving a crucial nonlinear differential equation
are explained. They are based on semi-discrete and continuum
approximations. It is interesting that the kind of the obtained
soliton depends not only on the physical system but also on the
used mathematical method as well. It is argued that these waves
could be signals for the motor proteins to start and/or to stop
moving along MT.
szdjidji@vin.bg.ac.rsAre solitary waves in microtubules signals for
motor proteins?
Slobodan Zdravković
Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences, Serbia
Nano Res Appl 2019, Volume 5
DOI: 10.21767/2471-9838-C1-031