The Cytoplasm

Hitchhiking Through the Cytoplasm

We propose an alternative mechanism for intracellular cargo transport which results from motor-induced longitudinal fluctuations of cytoskeletal microtubules (MTs). The longitudinal fluctuations combined with transient cargo binding to the MTs lead to long-range transport even for cargos and vesicles having no molecular motors on them. The proposed transport mechanism, which we call “hitchhikin...

The Physical Properties of Cytoplasm

Probing the Structure of Cytoplasm

We have used size-fractionated, fluorescent dextrans to probe the structure of the cytoplasmic ground substance of living Swiss 3T3 cells by fluorescence recovery after photobleaching and video image processing. The data indicate that the cytoplasm of living cells has a fluid phase viscosity four times greater than water and contains structural barriers that restrict free diffusion of dissolved...

Probing the structure of cytoplasm

We have used size-fractionated, fluorescent dextrans to probe the structure of the cytoplasmic ground substance of living Swiss 3T3 cells by fluorescence recovery after photobleaching and video image processing. The data indicate that the cytoplasm of living cells has a fluid phase viscosity four times greater than water and contains structural barriers that restrict free diffusion of dissolved...

Probing the Structure of Cytoplasm

We have used size-fractionated, fluorescent dextrans to probe the structure of the cytoplasmic ground substance of living Swiss 3T3 cells by fluorescence recovery after photobleaching and video image processing. The data indicate that the cytoplasm of living cells has a fluid phase viscosity four times greater than water and contains structural barriers that restrict free diffusion of dissolved...