Simon Pearce: How to bend a microtubule

Simon Pearce

University of Manchester

Now at: CRUK Manchester

The work presented was funded by the Leverhulme Trust

SoftMech Seminar
University of Glasgow
1.11.18







The work presented has been publishedPearce, S., Heil, M., Jensen, O., Jones, G. & Prokop, A. 1 Aug 2018 (Accepted/In press) In : Bulletin of Mathematical Biology. Curvature-sensitive kinesin binding can explain microtubule ring formation and reveals chaotic dynamics in a mathematical model 

Code Solving boundary-value eigenvalue problems in Mathematica using the Compound Matrix Method to construct the Evans function available at: https://github.com/SPPearce/CompoundMatrixMethod

Some of the papers mentioned:

Liu L, Tüzel E, Ross JL (2011) Loop formation of microtubules during gliding at high density. J Phys Condens Matter 23(37):374104

Peet et al.: Kinesin expands and stabilizes the GDP-microtubule lattice. NNanomat 2018 13: 386



Schaedel L, John K, Gaillard J, Nachury MV, Blanchoin L, Théry M (2015) Microtubules self-repair in response to mechanical stress. Nat Mater 14(11):1156

Weiss D, Langford G, Seitz-Tutter D, Maile W (1991) Analysis of the gliding, fishtailing and circling motions of native microtubules. Acta Histochem Supplement Band 41:81.