Dynamics and length distribution of microtubules under force and confinement

TL;DR

This study models microtubule growth under various cellular-like confinements, analyzing length distributions and force generation through stochastic and mean field methods, revealing robustness against model variations.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive analysis of microtubule dynamics under different confinement scenarios using realistic models and simulations, advancing understanding of cellular force generation.

Findings

Microtubules exhibit distinct length distributions under different confinement conditions.

Force generation by microtubules is robust across various catastrophe models.

Perturbations in growth parameters affect force dynamics but do not alter overall behavior.

Abstract

We investigate the microtubule polymerization dynamics with catastrophe and rescue events for three different confinement scenarios, which mimic typical cellular environments: (i) The microtubule is confined by rigid and fixed walls, (ii) it grows under constant force, and (iii) it grows against an elastic obstacle with a linearly increasing force. We use realistic catastrophe models and analyze the microtubule dynamics, the resulting microtubule length distributions, and force generation by stochastic and mean field calculations; in addition, we perform stochastic simulations. We also investigate the force dynamics if growth parameters are perturbed in dilution experiments. Finally, we show the robustness of our results against changes of catastrophe models and load distribution factors.