Controlling the Length of Microtubules by Manipulating Their Polymerization Condition

Abstract

Microtubule is a cytoskeletal protein filament that holds great promise for various applications in nanotechnology. However, controlling the length of microtubules has been a challenging task. Here we show that the length of microtubules can be easily controlled by manipulating the polymerization condition. The number of polymerization stage and time of polymerization under controlled condition are found to be useful in regulating the length of microtubules. This work is important for widening the applications of microtubules in nanotechnology, such as nano-shuttle, success of which greatly relies on the length of microtubules employed.