title: Pattern formation of microtubules and motors: inelastic interaction of polar rods.
abstract: We derive a model describing spatiotemporal organization of an array of microtubules interacting via molecular motors. Starting from a stochastic model of inelastic polar rods with a generic anisotropic interaction kernel we obtain a set of equations for the local rods concentration and orientation. At large enough mean density of rods and concentration of motors, the model describes orientational instability. We demonstrate that the orientational instability leads to the formation of vortices and (for large density and/or kernel anisotropy) asters seen in recent experiments.
authors.affiliation: Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Avenue, Argonne, IL 60439, USA.
authors.forename: Igor S
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Aranson
authors.forename: Lev S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Tsimring
mesh_terms: D003198:Computer Simulation; D004548:Elasticity; D008870:Microtubules / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000502:physiology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D008956:Models, Chemical; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D020409:Molecular Motor Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000502:physiology*; D009038:Motion; D046912:Multiprotein Complexes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology; D011487:Protein Conformation; D055672:Static Electricity; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
chemical_list: D020409:Molecular Motor Proteins; D046912:Multiprotein Complexes