The top 10 things
to know about
Microtubules...

last modified: 3/1/96


  1. Microtubules are components of the cytoskeleton: the skeleton and transport system of our cells.
  1. Microtubules mediate mitosis (cell division, DNA splitting).
  1. Microtubules assemble themselves!
  1. The cytoskeleton, microtubules, and their components have have conformations and are capable of computation. (In fact, a parmecium "thinks" and moves entirely via the cytoskeleton!)
  1. Microtubules regulate the strength of neuronal synapses.
  1. When a baby rat first opens its eyes, and when a chick hatches, there is an accompanying burst of tubulin production in their brains.
  1. Microtubules can convert incoherent energy (thermal, chemical, or electromagnetic) into coherent photons, in a process which has been called "superradiance."


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