Actin filament construction set
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Published on January 30, 2013
Description
This is a protein model that can be assembled (polymerized) in an analogy to what happens inside living cells.
Actin is a protein involved in maintaining a cell's shape, as part of what's called the cytoskeleton. Actin exists as monomers, but certain conditions (like the actions other proteins, or the presence of certain salts) cause the monomers to stick together and create these long, helical filaments.
Read more about actin here rcsb.org/pdb/101/motm.do?momID=19
Actin is a protein involved in maintaining a cell's shape, as part of what's called the cytoskeleton. Actin exists as monomers, but certain conditions (like the actions other proteins, or the presence of certain salts) cause the monomers to stick together and create these long, helical filaments.
Read more about actin here rcsb.org/pdb/101/motm.do?momID=19
Instructions
Print with support. I used KISSlicer, printing at 0.16 layer height at 0.45 extrusion width, scaling down the support flow rate to 75%. The model is supposed to be elevated from the platform, this helps the first layers form properly. If you don't use a heated platform you can print the non-elevated version.
Print many monomers and then put them together to make a filament! You'll need at least three before the filament structure becomes stable (Just like the real thing!) and then it's easier to add more to the plus end than the minus end (also realistic).
Print many monomers and then put them together to make a filament! You'll need at least three before the filament structure becomes stable (Just like the real thing!) and then it's easier to add more to the plus end than the minus end (also realistic).
License
Actin filament construction set by destroyer2012 is licensed under the Attribution - Share Alike - Creative Commons license.
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This is REALLY cool! I'd like to print some of these and add them together, but I'm just curious to see how you are adding them together. Glue? Melting them together? Thanks!
brian
They are held together by friction. I added a little peg and hole to the protein structure so the pieces snap together and they can be taken apart as well.