title: Pseudo-spin model for the microtubule wall in external field.
abstract: Microtubules (MTs) in the cytoskeletons of eukaryotic cells provide a wide range of microskeletal and micromuscular functionalities. Some evidence has indicated that they can serve as a medium for intracellular signaling processing. In this paper, for the inherent symmetry structures and the electric properties of tubulin dimers, the microtubule (MT) is treated as a one-dimensional ferroelectric system. The nonlinear dynamics of the dimer electric dipoles is described by virtue of the double-well potential and the physical problem is further mapped onto the pseudo-spin system. In addition, the effect of the external electric field on the MT has been taken into account.
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200050, PR China. siyuyingying@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Xi-Jun
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.forename: Xian-Lin
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Dong
mesh_terms: D019281:Dimerization; D004563:Electrochemistry; D008870:Microtubules / Q000502:physiology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D049490:Systems Biology; D014404:Tubulin / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014404:Tubulin