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Updated: Jul 19, 2026

Forming, Confining, and Observing Microtubule-Based Active Nematics
Published on: January 13, 2023
Microtubule nucleation: gamma-tubulin and beyond
Christiane Wiese1, Yixian Zheng
1Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 433 Babcock Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA. wiese@biochem.wisc.edu
Abstract:
Centrosomes and their fungal equivalents, spindle pole bodies (SPBs), are the main microtubule (MT)-organizing centers in eukaryotic cells. Several proteins have been implicated in microtubule formation by centrosomes and SPBs, including microtubule-minus-end-binding proteins and proteins that bind along the length or stabilize the plus ends of microtubules. Recent work has improved our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of MT formation. In particular, it has shown that gamma-tubulin and its associated proteins play key roles in microtubule nucleation and spindle assembly in evolutionarily distant species ranging from fungi to mammals. Other work indicates that gamma-tubulin-mediated microtubule nucleation, although necessary, is not sufficient for mitotic spindle assembly but requires additional proteins that regulate microtubule nucleation independently of centrosomes.
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