Kinetics of self-assembling microtubules: an "inverse problem" in biochemistry.

Flyvbjerg, H; Jobs, E; Leibler, S · Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A · 1996

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Experimental time series for a nonequilibrium reaction may in some cases contain sufficient data to determine a unique kinetic model for the reaction by a systematic mathematical analysis. As an example, a kinetic model for the self-assembly of microtubules is derived here from turbidity time series for solutions in which microtubules assemble. The model may be seen as a generalization of Oosawa's classical nucleation-polymerization model. It reproduces the experimental data with a four-stage nucleation process and a critical nucleus of 15 monomers.

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