Dynamics of microtubule aster formation by motor complexes

The polymerisation of filaments and their moving by motor proteins contribute to the organisation of the cytoskeleton of higher cells. What a mixture of such elements is capable of doing, is not yet understood. Using computer simulations, we study here in a simple system the kinetics of aster formation by motors and growing microtubules. We find that the system can be in three different regimes depending on the value of the microtubule polymerisation rate. We discuss that three types of motor links are present in the network and show how they contribute to each final pattern. (C) 2001 Academie des sciences/Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS.