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Visualizing microtubule structural transitions and interactions with associated proteins

Eva Nogales1, Rui Zhang2

  • 1Molecular and Cell Biology Department and QB3 Institute, UC Berkeley, CA 94720, United States; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, UC Berkeley, CA 94720, United States; Molecular Biophysics and Integrative Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States.

Current Opinion in Structural Biology
|January 25, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) reveals microtubule (MT) structure and function at atomic detail. This technique visualizes tubulin interactions, conformational changes, and associated protein binding, advancing our understanding of cellular processes.

Area of Science:

  • Structural Biology
  • Cell Biology
  • Biophysics

Background:

  • Microtubules (MTs) are crucial cytoskeletal components studied using cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM).
  • MTs present unique challenges like seams and lattice disorder for high-resolution imaging.
  • Advances in cryo-EM are overcoming these challenges, yielding detailed structural insights.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To highlight recent advancements in cryo-EM for microtubule structural studies.
  • To showcase the visualization of molecular interactions and conformational dynamics within microtubules.
  • To emphasize the role of cryo-EM in understanding microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) and their functions.

Main Methods:

  • Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) for high-resolution imaging of microtubules.
  • Advanced image processing techniques to resolve MT lattice disorder and features like the MT seam.
  • Structural analysis of tubulin subunit interactions and conformational states.

Main Results:

  • Atomic-detail visualization of lateral contacts between tubulin subunits.
  • Elucidation of conformational changes associated with GTP hydrolysis and MT lattice strain.
  • Detailed description of interactions between microtubules and microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs).

Conclusions:

  • Cryo-EM provides unprecedented insights into microtubule structure, dynamics, and interactions.
  • Understanding MT structure is key to deciphering their roles in cellular processes.
  • MAP interactions revealed by cryo-EM are critical for regulating MT functions like dynamic instability and cargo transport.

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