45 research outputs found
A model for the orientational ordering of the plant microtubule cortical array
The plant microtubule cortical array is a striking feature of all growing
plant cells. It consists of a more or less homogeneously distributed array of
highly aligned microtubules connected to the inner side of the plasma membrane
and oriented transversely to the cell growth axis. Here we formulate a
continuum model to describe the origin of orientational order in such confined
arrays of dynamical microtubules. The model is based on recent experimental
observations that show that a growing cortical microtubule can interact through
angle dependent collisions with pre-existing microtubules that can lead either
to co-alignment of the growth, retraction through catastrophe induction or
crossing over the encountered microtubule. We identify a single control
parameter, which is fully determined by the nucleation rate and intrinsic
dynamics of individual microtubules. We solve the model analytically in the
stationary isotropic phase, discuss the limits of stability of this isotropic
phase, and explicitly solve for the ordered stationary states in a simplified
version of the model.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figure
Mechanisms of Self-Organization of Cortical Microtubules in Plants Revealed by Computational Simulations
Plant cortical microtubules self-organize into parallel yet dispersed arrays transverse to the elongation axis of elongating plant cells. Computational modeling yields several novel predictions and shows that plus-end entrainment can give rise to order
A Three-Dimensional Computer Simulation Model Reveals the Mechanisms for Self-Organization of Plant Cortical Microtubules into Oblique Arrays
We use a 3D computer simulation model that is based on experimental data to understand how the noncentrosomal plant cortical microtubules self-organize into specific ordered patterns in both wild-type and mutant plants