In an article published Jan. 17 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers demonstrated a method that allows them to precisely control the growth of biopolymer networks like those that form part of the cellular skeleton. They were able to build these networks on a microchip, forming a type of circuit operating with chemical, rather than electrical, signals.

Inside cells, tubulin proteins form long, incredibly thin rods called microtubules. Networks of microtubules grow like tree roots into branching systems that form a primary element of the cytoskeleton, which gives cells their shape and enables them to divide.

Besides helping to maintain a cell’s shape, the microtubular scaffolding also works like a molecular railway. Specialized motor proteins carry molecular loads along the microtubule filaments. Slight changes in the microtubules’ molecular makeup act like signposts to adjust the chemical carriers’ courses, sending molecular payloads to their destinations. At Princeton, questions about these intracellular networks led to a collaboration between Sabine Petry, an associate professor of molecular biology, and Howard Stone, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering who specializes in fluid mechanics. ...

Read the full story at the link below...