Sciences de la matière et microgravité

J. Phys. IV France 11 (2001) Pr6-255-Pr6-260
DOI: 10.1051/jp4:2001630

The effect on microtubule self-organisation of reduced gravity levels produced in ground based experiments; comparison with space flight experiments

N. Glade^{1, 2} and J. Tabony<sup>1

1</sup>  Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique, Département de Biologie Moléculaire et Structurale, Laboratoire de Résonance Magnétique en Biologie Métabolique, DSV, CEA Grenoble, 17 rue des Martyrs, 38054 Grenoble cedex 9, France
²  Institut d'Informatique et Mathématique Appliquées de Grenoble, Laboratoire de Technique de l'Imagerie de la Modélisation et de la Cognition, Faculté de Médecine, Domaine de la Merci, 38706 La Tronche cedex, France

Abstract
Conditions of weightlessness can be obtained in space-flight experiments. Reduced gravity levels, albeit of higher magnitude, can also be obtained by various ground based methods. Space-flight experiments demonstrate that self-organisation of microtubules, an element of the cellular skeleton, may be triggered by gravity. The effect of reduced gravity levels produced by various types of ground based apparatus on microtubule self-organisation is compared with the effects produced by space-flight conditions. Of the different methods used, the simple rotating clinostat, although not reproducing the results of the space experiment, gave results that showed similar qualitative features.

© EDP Sciences 2001