We proposed a method to characterize the effect of micrometer-scale walls on the motion of microtubules propelled by dynein, a motor protein. The walls were made of resist polymers, such as OEBR1000, SAL601, and PMGI, using e-beam lithography. The pattern of the walls was designed to make microtubules collide with the wall perpendicularly and the number of microtubules crossing over the wall was counted from sequential images obtained with a fluorescence microscope. It was found that the wall, which was higher than approximately 800 nm, stops microtubules from crossing over the wall. The wall made of OEBR1000 prevents microtubules from crossing it more effectively than that made of SAL601 and the overhang is also useful for guiding the microtubule motion.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.