Electrical mapping of microtubular structures by surface potential

ZHANG P; CANTIELLO HF

APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS

AMER INST PHYSICS

Año: 2009 vol. 95 p. 1130703 - 1130706

0003-6951

Microtubules (MTs) are important cytoskeletal polymers that play an essential role in cell division and transport in all eukaryotes and information processing in neurons. MTs are highly charged polyelectrolytes, composed of hollow cylindrical arrangements of áâ-tubulin dimers. To date, there is little information about electrical properties of MTs. Here, we deposited and dried MTs onto a gold-plated surface to image their topology by atomic force microscopy (AFM), and determined their electrical mapping with surface potential microscopy (SPM). We found a strong linear correlation between the magnitude of relative surface potential and MT parameters, including diameter and height. AFM images confirmed the cylindrical topology of microtubular structures, and the presence of topological discontinuities along their surface, which may contribute to their unique electrical properties.