Mandelkow E, Mandelkow E M, Hotani H, Hess B, Müller S C
Max-Planck-Unit for Structural Molecular Biology, Hamburg, West Germany.
Science. 1989 Dec 8;246(4935):1291-3. doi: 10.1126/science.2588005.
Microtubules are fibers of the cytoskeleton involved in the generation of cell shape and motility. They can be highly dynamic and are capable of temporal oscillations in their state of assembly. Solutions of tubulin (the subunit protein of microtubules) and guanosine triphosphate (GTP, the cofactor required for microtubule assembly and oscillations) can generate various dissipative structures. They include traveling waves of microtubule assembly and disassembly as well as polygonal networks. The results imply that cytoskeletal proteins can form dynamic spatial structures by themselves, even in the absence of cellular organizing centers. Thus the microtubule system could serve as a simple model for studying pattern formation by biomolecules in vitro.
微管是细胞骨架的纤维，参与细胞形状的形成和运动。它们具有高度的动态性，并且在组装状态下能够进行时间振荡。微管蛋白（微管的亚基蛋白）和三磷酸鸟苷（GTP，微管组装和振荡所需的辅助因子）的溶液可以产生各种耗散结构。它们包括微管组装和解聚的行波以及多边形网络。这些结果表明，即使在没有细胞组织中心的情况下，细胞骨架蛋白自身也能形成动态空间结构。因此，微管系统可以作为体外研究生物分子模式形成的一个简单模型。
