Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Microtubule Instability02:17

Microtubule Instability

Microtubules are hollow cylindrical filaments having a diameter of approximately 25 nm and a length that varies from 200 nm to 25 μm. GTP-bound tubulin subunits form αβ-heterodimers for microtubule assembly. These core building blocks interact longitudinally, polymerizing into protofilaments. The protofilaments then interact with one another through lateral bonding forces to form stable cylindrical microtubules. These cylindrical filaments are dynamic as they undergo repeated assembly and...
Microtubule Instability02:17

Microtubule Instability

Microtubules are hollow cylindrical filaments having a diameter of approximately 25 nm and a length that varies from 200 nm to 25 μm. GTP-bound tubulin subunits form αβ-heterodimers for microtubule assembly. These core building blocks interact longitudinally, polymerizing into protofilaments. The protofilaments then interact with one another through lateral bonding forces to form stable cylindrical microtubules. These cylindrical filaments are dynamic as they undergo repeated assembly and...
Destabilization of Microtubules01:45

Destabilization of Microtubules

The destabilization of microtubules can occur during different stages of the microtubule lifecycle, such as nucleation or elongation. It can take place at either end of the microtubule or in the microtubule lattices as a whole. The lifespan of individual microtubules within a cell varies according to the cell type and stage of the cell cycle. During interphase, the lifespan of the microtubule is about 30 minutes, while during cell division, it is about 15 minutes. In axonal microtubules of...
Microtubule Formation01:23

Microtubule Formation

Microtubules are dynamic structures that undergo continuous assembly and disassembly. They originate from specialized multi-protein complexes known as microtubule organizing centers or MTOCs. Within the MTOC, the point of origin of the microtubule is known as the minus end, while the end radiating outward is the plus end. Microtubules serve two primary functions — the organization of spindle complexes to separate sister chromatids during mitotic or meiotic cell division and the formation of...
Assembly of Complex Microtubule Structures01:32

Assembly of Complex Microtubule Structures

Complex microtubule structures are present in resting cells and in dividing cells. In resting cells, they are responsible for maintaining the cellular architecture, tracks for intracellular transport, positioning of organelles, assembly of cilia and flagella. They mediate the bipolar spindle assembly for chromosomal segregation and positioning of the cell division plate in dividing cells. The formation of microtubule complex structures depends on the cell type, cell stage, and cell function.
Drugs that Stabilize Microtubules01:15

Drugs that Stabilize Microtubules

Microtubules are dynamic structures that undergo cycles of catastrophe and rescue. The microtubules play a central role in cell division by forming the spindle apparatus for segregating the chromosomes. This makes them ideal targets for regulating dividing cells in tumors and malignant cancer cells. Microtubule stabilizing drugs help stabilize the microtubule formation and promote its polymerization. Paclitaxel was the first microtubule stabilizing agent used as anticancer drug in chemotherapy...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Human APOBEC3G suppresses homologous recombination and LIG4-independent end joining in DNA double-strand break repair.

The FEBS journal·2026
Same author

17β-Estradiol counteracts pathological microtubule remodeling to enhance right ventricular function in preclinical models.

The Journal of clinical investigation·2026
Same author

FLIM quality metric visualization as a means to validate consistency across large-area non-homogeneous FLIM datasets.

Methods and applications in fluorescence·2026
Same author

Mechanistic modeling predicts efficacy of CISH knockout in tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes with synergistic gene editing.

Physical biology·2026
Same author

Engineering "physically optimized" T cells for increased sampling of complex tumor microenvironments.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Biophysical modeling identifies an optimal hybrid amoeboid-mesenchymal mechanism for maximal T cell migration speeds.

Cell reports·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 10, 2026

Extracting Modified Microtubules from Mammalian Cells to Study Microtubule-Protein Complexes by Cryo-Electron Microscopy
08:02

Extracting Modified Microtubules from Mammalian Cells to Study Microtubule-Protein Complexes by Cryo-Electron Microscopy

Published on: March 3, 2023

Evolving tip structures can explain age-dependent microtubule catastrophe.

Courtney E Coombes1, Ami Yamamoto, Madeline R Kenzie

  • 1Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.

Current Biology : CB
|July 9, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Microtubule catastrophe, a sudden shortening event, is linked to GTP-tubulin cap loss. New research reveals that the physical aging and tapering of microtubule tips also drive this critical cellular process.

More Related Videos

Preparation of Segmented Microtubules to Study Motions Driven by the Disassembling Microtubule Ends
12:20

Preparation of Segmented Microtubules to Study Motions Driven by the Disassembling Microtubule Ends

Published on: March 15, 2014

Microtubule Plus-End Dynamics Visualization in Huntington's Disease Model based on Human Primary Skin Fibroblasts
10:38

Microtubule Plus-End Dynamics Visualization in Huntington's Disease Model based on Human Primary Skin Fibroblasts

Published on: January 8, 2022

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 10, 2026

Extracting Modified Microtubules from Mammalian Cells to Study Microtubule-Protein Complexes by Cryo-Electron Microscopy
08:02

Extracting Modified Microtubules from Mammalian Cells to Study Microtubule-Protein Complexes by Cryo-Electron Microscopy

Published on: March 3, 2023

Preparation of Segmented Microtubules to Study Motions Driven by the Disassembling Microtubule Ends
12:20

Preparation of Segmented Microtubules to Study Motions Driven by the Disassembling Microtubule Ends

Published on: March 15, 2014

Microtubule Plus-End Dynamics Visualization in Huntington's Disease Model based on Human Primary Skin Fibroblasts
10:38

Microtubule Plus-End Dynamics Visualization in Huntington's Disease Model based on Human Primary Skin Fibroblasts

Published on: January 8, 2022

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Biophysics
  • Structural Biology

Background:

  • Microtubules are essential cellular components involved in structure and transport.
  • Microtubule dynamics are characterized by growth and catastrophe (rapid shortening).
  • A GTP-tubulin cap is believed to protect microtubules from catastrophe.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the mechanistic basis for the sudden loss of the GTP-tubulin cap leading to microtubule catastrophe.
  • To investigate the factors contributing to microtubule catastrophe events.

Main Methods:

  • Three-dimensional (3D) mechanochemical simulations of microtubule dynamics.
  • Analysis of interactions between neighboring protofilaments.
  • Experimental validation using fluorescence and electron microscopy.

Main Results:

  • Two key factors contribute to catastrophe: GTP-tubulin cap size and microtubule tip structure.
  • Microtubule tips become progressively tapered during growth, destabilizing the tip.
  • This physical destabilization, alongside cap dynamics, promotes catastrophe.

Conclusions:

  • Microtubule catastrophe is influenced by both GTP-tubulin cap dynamics and the physical aging of the microtubule tip structure.
  • The likelihood of catastrophe may be intrinsically linked to the evolving physical state of the growing microtubule tip.
  • Microtubule-associated proteins might regulate catastrophe by altering tip structure.