Modeling polymerization of microtubules: a quantum mechanical approach
| dc.creator | Rezania, Vahid | |
| dc.creator | Tuszynski, Jack | |
| dc.date | 2007-08-27 | |
| dc.date | 2008-10-22 | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2026-07-07T10:11:52Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2026-07-07T10:11:52Z | |
| dc.description | In this paper a quantum mechanical description of the assembly/disassembly process for microtubules is proposed. We introduce creation and annihilation operators that raise or lower the microtubule length by a tubulin layer. Following that, the Hamiltonian and corresponding equations of motion for the quantum fields are derived that describe the dynamics of microtubules. These Heisenberg-type equations are then transformed to semi-classical equations using the method of coherent structures. We find that the dynamics of a microtubule can be mathematically expressed via a cubic-quintic nonlinear Schrödinger (NLS) equation. We show that a vortex filament, a generic solution of the NLS equation, exhibits linear growth/shrinkage in time as well as temporal fluctuations about some mean value which is qualitatively similar to the dynamic instability of microtubules. | |
| dc.description | 19 pages, 1 figure | |
| dc.identifier | https://arxiv.org/abs/0708.3509 | |
| dc.identifier | http://arxiv.org/abs/0708.3509 | |
| dc.identifier | Physica A, Vol. 387, 5795 - 5809 (2008) | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/171996 | |
| dc.subject | Biomolecules | |
| dc.subject | Statistical Mechanics | |
| dc.subject | Quantitative Methods | |
| dc.title | Modeling polymerization of microtubules: a quantum mechanical approach | |
| dc.type | text |