A mean-field theory approach to 3D nematic phase transitions in microtubules

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Gibson, Cameron, Jönsson, Henrik, Spelman, Tamsin
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2021
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author Gibson, Cameron
Jönsson, Henrik
Spelman, Tamsin
author_facet Gibson, Cameron
Jönsson, Henrik
Spelman, Tamsin
contents Microtubules are dynamic intracellular fibers that have been observed experimentally to undergo spontaneous self-alignment. We formulate a 3D mean-field theory model to analyze the nematic phase transition of microtubules growing and interacting within a 3D space then make a comparison with computational simulations. We identify a control parameter $G_\text{eff}$ and predict a unique critical value $G_\text{eff}=1.56$ for which a phase transition can occur. Furthermore, we show both analytically and using simulations that this predicted critical value does not depend on the presence of zippering. The mean-field theory developed here provides an analytical estimate of microtubule patterning characteristics without running time-consuming simulations and is a step towards bridging scales from microtubule behavior to multicellular simulations.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2112_06855
institution arXiv
publishDate 2021
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle A mean-field theory approach to 3D nematic phase transitions in microtubules
Gibson, Cameron
Jönsson, Henrik
Spelman, Tamsin
Biological Physics
Subcellular Processes
Microtubules are dynamic intracellular fibers that have been observed experimentally to undergo spontaneous self-alignment. We formulate a 3D mean-field theory model to analyze the nematic phase transition of microtubules growing and interacting within a 3D space then make a comparison with computational simulations. We identify a control parameter $G_\text{eff}$ and predict a unique critical value $G_\text{eff}=1.56$ for which a phase transition can occur. Furthermore, we show both analytically and using simulations that this predicted critical value does not depend on the presence of zippering. The mean-field theory developed here provides an analytical estimate of microtubule patterning characteristics without running time-consuming simulations and is a step towards bridging scales from microtubule behavior to multicellular simulations.
title A mean-field theory approach to 3D nematic phase transitions in microtubules
topic Biological Physics
Subcellular Processes
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2112.06855