A method for controlling microtubule velocity using light irradiance on a patterned gold surface

This paper describes a method for controlling the velocity of gliding microtubules by light irradiance on a gold-patterned surface. The light was used to control the temperature of the buffer solution by heat transfer from the thin gold film. Microtubule velocity increased approximately 1.8-fold from the initial velocity at the 13.5 W/cm2 on the gold-coated area. The proposed method also allows cyclical control of gliding velocity between 0.53 μm/s and 1.01 μm/s by switching irradiance between 0.7 W/cm2 and 13.7 W/cm2. This is the first demonstration of the control and switching of velocity on a gold-patterned surface.