Dresden 2020 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 9: Poster II

BP 9.1: Poster

Monday, March 16, 2020, 17:30–19:30, P2/2OG

Vimentin intermediate filaments stabilize dynamic microtubules — •Charlotta Lorenz, Laura Schaedel, and Sarah Köster — Institute for X-Ray Physics, Georg-August-Universität, Göttingen, Germany

Many cellular functions such as cell shape, mechanics and intracellular transport rely on the organization and interaction of actin filaments, microtubules (MTs) and intermediate filaments (IFs), which are the main constituents of the eukaryotic cytoskeleton. We study the interaction between vimentin IFs and dynamic MTs in a minimal in vitro system and show that MTs are stabilized against depolymerization by the presence of vimentin IFs. To explore the electrostatic and hydrophobic contributions to this attraction, we measure interactions between individual MTs and vimentin IFs under different buffer conditions. We theoretically model the interaction to understand the energy landscape of the attraction. Taken together, our results suggest that there is an attractive interaction between MTs and vimentin IFs that supports increased MT stability.