Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 19, 2025

Forming, Confining, and Observing Microtubule-Based Active Nematics
Published on: January 13, 2023
Maytansinol Functionalization: Towards Useful Probes for Studying Microtubule Dynamics
Zlata Boiarska1, Helena Pérez-Peña1, Anne-Catherine Abel2
1Department of Chemistry, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Golgi 19, 20133, Milan, Italy.
Abstract:
Maytansinoids are a successful class of natural and semisynthetic tubulin binders, known for their potent cytotoxic activity. Their wider application as cytotoxins and chemical probes to study tubulin dynamics has been held back by the complexity of natural product chemistry. Here we report the synthesis of long-chain derivatives and maytansinoid conjugates. We confirmed that bulky substituents do not impact their high activity or the scaffold's binding mode. These encouraging results open new avenues for the design of new maytansine-based probes.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Destabilization of Microtubules
Drugs that Stabilize Microtubules
Microtubules
Studying the Cytoskeleton

