Resolving controversy of unusually high refractive index of tubulin

TL;DR

This study resolves the controversy over tubulin's refractive index by combining modeling and experimental analysis, revealing a value much closer to theoretical predictions than previous experimental reports.

Contribution

It provides the first rigorous experimental measurement of tubulin's refractive index aligning with established theoretical models.

Findings

Refractive index of tubulin is approximately 1.64 at 589 nm and 25°C.

Previous experimental values were significantly higher than theoretical predictions.

The new measurement resolves the longstanding controversy over tubulin's optical properties.

Abstract

Refractive index of tubulin is an important parameter underlying fundamental electromagnetic and biophysical properties of microtubules - protein fibers essential for several cell functions including cell division. Yet, the only experimental data available in the current literature show values of tubulin refractive index (n\,=\,2.36\,-\,2.90) which are much higher than established theories predict based on the weighted contribution of the polarizability of individual amino acids constituting the protein. To resolve this controversy, we report here modeling and rigorous experimental analysis of refractive index of purified tubulin dimer. Our experimental data revealed that the refractive index of tubulin is n\,=\,1.64 at the wavelength 589\,nm and 25\,$^{\circ}{\rm C}$, that is much closer to the values predicted by established theories than the earlier experimental data provide.