Microtubule Transport On 3d Biocompatible Nanostructures

Nanoscale transport using the kinesin-microtubule (MT) system has been successfully used in a wide range of nanotechnological applications including self-assembly, nanofluidic transport, and biosensing. For the most part, transport has been achieved using physical or chemical patterns to guide MT motion in the gliding motility geometry, in which surface-adhered kinesin motors bind and translate MT filaments across a planar surface. These approaches require lithographically patterning features onto a surface, which limit the MT trajectories, where MTs can escape the barriers and lead to stalling or complete loss of MTs. Here, we explore the regulation of MT transport behaviors using biocompatible 3D structures that are generated by chemically modifying surfaces with self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) and silicifying mammalian cells. The SAMs provide a facile approach to regulate cell morphology and achieve a range of 3D surfaces capable of supporting MT transport. For example, carboxyl-terminated SAMs produced an elongated cell morphology that appear to affect the trajectory, but not the velocities, of MT transport. This approach allows for the production of topographically unique and preserved surfaces, enabling the study of MT gliding and ability to guide motion on complex 3D substrates. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-mission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC., a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International, Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA-0003525.