Abstract
A cellular automaton-based model is presented to investigate the influence of an electromagnetic field on microtubule formation dynamics. The cellular space is assumed to represent a portion of the cytoplasm through which the electromagnetic field propagates. Tubulin dimers are seen as dipoles having two states of polarization, and the field is seen as a stream of photons. Both kinds of particles move all over the cellular space. Their interactions are represented as local elementary processes of photon absorption and emission. The effects of the ponderomotive force exerted by the field on the dimers and diffusion are taken into account. Simulation experiments show that a monochromatic electromagnetic beam with a bell-shaped transverse profile can give rise to filamentary regions where the dimer concentration is increased, thus creating a precondition for polymerization.
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