A coarse grain model of microtubules

This paper proposes a 3-dimensional coarse grain model of microtubules and treats the tubulin monomer as a sphere of multiple patches, with parameters chosen to yield experimental values of bending and stretching stiffness. The model has demonstrated the ability to produce the bistability of tubulin sheets, elastic deformation near the tip, and cracking and peeling of protofilaments. This model is expected to take into account the structural and mechanical aspects underlying the physical mechanism of polymerization/depolymerization and dynamic instability of microtubules.