Microtubules are extended tubular polymers of tubulin that are a component of the cytoskeleton present throughout the cytoplasm. These microtubules are highly dynamic and provide a platform for intracellular transport and are also involved in a variety of cellular processes. They are formed by the non-covalent polymerization of α and β tubulin dimers that require energy input in the form of GTP. Microtubules have a distinct polarity with one end having the α subunits exposed and the other end having the β subunits exposed, and these are termed the (-) and (+) ends, respectively. Elongation of a microtubule typically occurs at the (+) end. The (+) end of a microtubule is the region where assembly and disassembly of dimers take place which results in dynamic instability. During polymerization both the subunits of the dimer are bound to a molecule of GTP which is the stable state.

We are developing tools to investigate if alternating electric fields in the kHz to GHz domain can influence the kinetics of microtubule formation. We have developed a setup which applies an alternating electric field across a sample containing tubulin, and an ultraviolet light scattering probe monitors the formation of microtubules. The kinetics of microtubule polymerization is followed as a function of the frequency and energy of the applied electric field. We speculate that it may be possible to observe an increase or decrease in the rate of polymerization when an electric field is applied, and preliminary results towards this goal are presented.