title: Nonlinear dynamics of dipoles in microtubules: Pseudospin model.
abstract: We perform a theoretical study of the dynamics of the electric field excitations in a microtubule by taking into consideration the realistic cylindrical geometry, dipole-dipole interactions of the tubulin-based protein heterodimers, the radial electric field produced by the solvent, and a possible degeneracy of energy states of individual heterodimers. The consideration is done in the frame of the classical pseudospin model. We derive the system of nonlinear dynamical partial differential equations of motion for interacting dipoles and the continuum version of these equations. We obtain the solutions of these equations in the form of snoidal waves, solitons, kinks, and localized spikes. Our results will help to achieve a better understanding of the functional properties of microtubules including the motor protein dynamics and the information transfer processes. Our considerations are based on classical dynamics. Some speculations on the role of possible quantum effects are also made.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Física, Centro Universitario de Ciencias Exactas e Ingenierias, Universidad de Guadalajara, Avenida Revolución 1500, Guadalajara, CP 44420, Jalisco, Mexico.
authors.forename: Alexander I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Nesterov
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Física, Centro Universitario de Ciencias Exactas e Ingenierias, Universidad de Guadalajara, Avenida Revolución 1500, Guadalajara, CP 44420, Jalisco, Mexico.
authors.forename: Mónica F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Ramírez
authors.affiliation: Bioscience Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and the New Mexico Consortium, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87544, USA.
authors.forename: Gennady P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Berman
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, King's College London, Strand, London WC2R 2LS, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Nick E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Mavromatos