Description

Microtubules are small, hollow, tubular structures found in cells that act like conveyer belts, transporting materials throughout the cell, as well as maintaining the shape and structure of the cell. Similar to people in a crowd, microtubules maneuver around one another to avoid collisions resulting in a constant chaotic motion.   

Because they are in constant motion, microtubules require a source of energy in order to accomplish their jobs. This energy comes in the form of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), which is considered to be the “energy currency of life”. Reconstructed in vitro, or outside a living organism, microtubules slide along each other to form nematic order in constant chaotic motion resulting in the swirl like pattern shown. The image is acquired by Nikon Ti2 microscope with a 60x objective.