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. 2010 Feb;31(2):215-27.
doi: 10.1140/epje/i2010-10562-x. Epub 2010 Mar 10.

Torsional elastic deformations of microtubules within continuous sheet model

P Chełminiak  1 , J M Dixon, J A Tuszyński
Affiliations

Torsional elastic deformations of microtubules within continuous sheet model

P Chełminiak et al. Eur Phys J E Soft Matter. 2010 Feb.

Abstract

This paper develops a rigorous analysis of the microtubule elastic deformations in terms of the torsional degrees of freedom using the helix-based cylindrical structure of this biopolymer. Methods of differential geometry and the theory of elasticity are employed in our analysis. We find equilibrium conditions and constitutive equations in the linear regime. We estimate the value of torsional rigidity for microtubules based on their structure and some experimentally known elastic properties. The paper concludes with the derivation of a bulk modulus formula for a microtubule in solution. Both the entropy change and the fluctuation of the twist angle are obtained.

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