Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 10, 2026
10:23
High-resolution Imaging and Analysis of Individual Astral Microtubule Dynamics in Budding Yeast
Published on: April 20, 2017
Photoactivatable green fluorescent protein-tubulin
U Serdar Tulu1, Nick P Ferenz, Patricia Wadsworth
1Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, USA.
Methods in Cell Biology
|August 20, 2010
Summary
Researchers developed a new method using photoactivatable green fluorescent protein (PA-GFP) to track specific microtubule behaviors during cell division (mitosis). This technique allows detailed observation of dynamic processes like spindle formation in live cells.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Molecular Biology
- Biophysics
Background:
- Direct observation of live cells using fluorescently tagged tubulin has advanced mitosis research.
- A limitation is observing specific microtubule subsets when all microtubules are fluorescent.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a method for observing specific subsets of microtubules in live cells.
- To overcome the limitation of observing all fluorescently tagged tubulin.
Main Methods:
- Tagging tubulin with a photoactivatable variant of green fluorescent protein (PA-GFP).
- Methods for expressing PA-GFP tagged proteins in live cells.
- Local photoactivation of PA-GFP and recording dynamic behavior of activated molecules.
Main Results:
- Successfully tagged and expressed PA-GFP in tubulin.
- Developed protocols for local photoactivation and tracking of specific microtubule populations.
- Demonstrated the ability to observe dynamic microtubule behavior in specific subsets.
Conclusions:
- Photoactivatable proteins like PA-GFP are powerful tools for studying dynamic cellular processes.
- This method enables detailed examination of microtubule dynamics, including spindle formation.
- The approach is applicable to diverse cell types for live-cell imaging.
