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Related Concept Videos

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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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Updated: Sep 25, 2025

Purification of Tubulin with Controlled Posttranslational Modifications and Isotypes from Limited Sources by Polymerization-Depolymerization Cycles
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Electro-Modulation of Tubulin Properties and Function.

Djamel Eddine Chafai1, Michal Cifra2

  • 1Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology, Institute of Physiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic. djamel.chafai@fgu.cas.cz.

Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.)
|April 27, 2022
PubMed
Summary

Researchers explored a novel physical method to control microtubule assembly using nanosecond electropulses. This technique modulates tubulin properties, offering a new strategy for self-assembly control in biomolecules and bioinspired materials.

Keywords:
Atomic force microscopyDynamic light scatteringFluorescence intensityMicrotubulesNanosecond pulsed electric fieldSelf-assemblyTubulinZeta potential

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Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Cell Biology
  • Materials Science

Background:

  • Microtubules, built from tubulin heterodimers, are crucial dynamic structures for cellular functions like cell division.
  • Microtubule dynamics (growth and shrinkage) are typically regulated by chemical signals.
  • Existing methods for controlling microtubule self-assembly are primarily chemical.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To introduce a physical strategy for modulating tubulin properties and controlling microtubule self-assembly.
  • To investigate the effect of nanosecond electropulse signals on tubulin conformation and electrical properties.
  • To establish a link between electrical treatment-induced changes and the resulting tubulin structures.

Main Methods:

  • Applying nanosecond electropulse signals to tubulin subunits.
  • Analyzing the conformational and electrical property changes in tubulin.
  • Characterizing the self-assembled structures formed from electrically treated tubulin.

Main Results:

  • Nanosecond electropulses effectively modulate the conformation and electrical properties of tubulin subunits.
  • The structural characteristics of the assembled tubulin are directly correlated with the extent of induced conformational and electrical changes.
  • This physical approach provides a controllable method for influencing tubulin self-assembly.

Conclusions:

  • Nanosecond electropulsation offers a viable physical alternative to chemical methods for controlling microtubule self-assembly.
  • This strategy has potential applications in manipulating biomolecular self-assembly and developing novel bioinspired materials.
  • The study demonstrates a new paradigm for directing the self-assembly of biological molecules through electrical means.