Force balance of opposing diffusive motors generates polarity-sorted microtubule patterns.

ABSTRACT: The internal organization of cells is largely determined by the architecture and orientation of the microtubule network. Microtubules serve as polar tracks for the selective transport of specific molecular motors toward either their plus or minus ends. How both motors reciprocally move microtubules and organize the network's arrangement and polarity is unknown. Here, we combined experiments on reconstituted systems and theory to study the interaction of microtubules with both plus- and minus-end directed motors bound to a fluid membrane. Depending on motor concentrations, the system could lead either to the constant transport of microtubules or to their alignment, stacking, and immobilization in regular bands that separate motors into domains of opposite polarities. In bands, microtubules

SUBMITTER: Utzschneider C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11626118 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature