Microtubules in Microorganisms: How Tubulin Isotypes Contribute to Diverse Cytoskeletal Functions.

ABSTRACT: The cellular functions of the microtubule (MT) cytoskeleton range from relatively simple to amazingly complex. Assembled from tubulin, a heterodimeric protein with α- and β-tubulin subunits, microtubules are long, hollow cylindrical filaments with inherent polarity. They are intrinsically dynamic polymers that utilize GTP binding by tubulin, and subsequent hydrolysis, to drive spontaneous assembly and disassembly. Early studies indicated that cellular MTs are composed of multiple variants, or isotypes, of α- and β-tubulins, and that these multi-isotype polymers are further diversified by a range of posttranslational modifications (PTMs) to tubulin. These findings support the multi-tubulin hypothesis whereby individual, or combinations of tubulin isotypes possess unique properties needed to

SUBMITTER: Bera A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9294176 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature