title: Optical Tweezers-Based Measurements of Forces and Dynamics at Microtubule Ends.
abstract: Microtubules are dynamic cytoskeletal polymers that polymerize and depolymerize while interacting with different proteins and structures within the cell. The highly regulated dynamic properties as well as the pushing and pulling forces generated by dynamic microtubule ends play important roles in processes such as in cell division. For instance, microtubule end-binding proteins are known to affect dramatically the dynamic properties of microtubules, and cortical dyneins are known to mediate pulling forces on microtubule ends. We discuss in this chapter our efforts to reconstitute these systems in vitro and mimic their interactions with structures within the cell using micro-fabricated barriers. Using an optical tweezers setup, we investigate the dynamics and forces of microtubules growing against functionalized barriers in the absence and presence of end-binding proteins and barrier-attached motor proteins. This setup allows high-speed as well as nanometer and piconewton resolution measurements on dynamic microtubules.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bionanoscience, Kavli Institute of NanoScience, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Delft University of Technology, Postbus 5046, 2600, GA, Delft, The Netherlands.|FOM Institute AMOLF, Science Park 102, 1098 XG Amsterdam, Delft, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Marian
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Baclayon
authors.affiliation: FOM Institute AMOLF, Science Park 102, 1098 XG Amsterdam, Delft, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Svenja-Marei
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Kalisch
authors.affiliation: FOM Institute AMOLF, Science Park 102, 1098 XG Amsterdam, Delft, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ed
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hendel
authors.affiliation: Department of Bionanoscience, Kavli Institute of NanoScience, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Delft University of Technology, Postbus 5046, 2600, GA, Delft, The Netherlands.|FOM Institute AMOLF, Science Park 102, 1098 XG Amsterdam, Delft, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Liedewij
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Laan
authors.affiliation: FOM Institute AMOLF, Science Park 102, 1098 XG Amsterdam, Delft, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Julien
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Husson
authors.affiliation: FOM Institute AMOLF, Science Park 102, 1098 XG Amsterdam, Delft, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: E Laura
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Munteanu
authors.affiliation: Department of Bionanoscience, Kavli Institute of NanoScience, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Delft University of Technology, Postbus 5046, 2600, GA, Delft, The Netherlands. M.Dogterom@tudelft.nl.|FOM Institute AMOLF, Science Park 102, 1098 XG Amsterdam, Delft, The Netherlands. M.Dogterom@tudelft.nl.
authors.forename: Marileen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dogterom
mesh_terms: D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D004398:Dyneins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D008853:Microscopy / Q000379:methods; D008870:Microtubules / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D052898:Optical Tweezers; D055095:Optics and Photonics / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D004398:Dyneins
keywords: Cytoskeleton; Force generation; Gold-coated barriers; Micro-fabrication; Microtubule ends; Microtubules; Optical trapping; SU8 barriers