Reconstituting Microtubules: A Decades-Long Effort From Building Block Identification to the Generation of Recombinant α/β-Tubulin.

ABSTRACT: Microtubules are cytoskeletal filaments underlying the morphology and functions of all eukaryotic cells. In higher eukaryotes, the basic building blocks of these non-covalent polymers, ɑ- and β-tubulins, are encoded by expanded tubulin family genes (i.e., isotypes) at distinct loci in the genome. While ɑ/β-tubulin heterodimers have been isolated and examined for more than 50 years, how tubulin isotypes contribute to the microtubule organization and functions that support diverse cellular architectures remains a fundamental question. To address this knowledge gap, in vitro reconstitution of microtubules with purified ɑ/β-tubulin proteins has been employed for biochemical and biophysical characterization. These in vitro assays have provided mechanistic insights into the regulat

SUBMITTER: Ti SC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9096264 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature