MICROTUBULES IN BIOLOGICAL CELLS AS CIRCULAR WAVEGUIDES AND RESONATORS

The microtubules in the cellular cytoskeleton have a fundamental role in the living processes of biological cells. They are hollow cylinders which resemble circular waveguides or cylindrical resonators. The cutoff and resonant frequencies of the transverse magnetic and transverse electric modes of t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Electro- and magnetobiology 2001, Vol.20 (1), p.75-80
Main Authors: Jelínek, František, Pokorný, Jir´í
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:The microtubules in the cellular cytoskeleton have a fundamental role in the living processes of biological cells. They are hollow cylinders which resemble circular waveguides or cylindrical resonators. The cutoff and resonant frequencies of the transverse magnetic and transverse electric modes of the microtubule cavities are in the band of soft x-rays. This suggests the possibility of interaction of electromagnetic cavity modes with inner electrons in atoms (e.g., in carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen). Biological cells (e.g., the yeast cells of spherical shape) may also represent cavity resonators. In this case, the resonant frequencies may be in the infrared region.
ISSN:1536-8378
1061-9526
1536-8386
1525-6081
DOI:10.1081/JBC-100103161