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Assembly of Complex Microtubule Structures01:32

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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.
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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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Microtubules are the thickest cytoskeletal filaments with a diameter of 25 nm. In prokaryotic organisms, microtubules are commonly found in locomotory appendages like cilia and flagella. In eukaryotic cells, microtubules form specialized extensions for moving fluid over the surface, like those found in cells lining the intestine.
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Microtubules are thick hollow cylindrical proteins that help form the cytoskeleton. Microtubules have varied roles in the cell. These filaments help form cellular appendages like cilia and flagella, which are responsible for locomotion. The cilia arise from basal bodies, separated from the main body by a membrane-like structure forming the transition zone. This zone is the gate for the entry of lipids and proteins, creating a unique composition of lipids and proteins in the ciliary membrane and...
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Microtubules are small hollow tubes in eukaryotic cells. The cell wall microtubules are polymerized dimers of two globular proteins, α-tubulin and β-tubulin, two globular proteins. With a diameter of about 25 nm, microtubules are the widest components of the cytoskeleton. They help the cell resist compression and provide a track along which vesicles move through the cell or pull replicated chromosomes to opposite ends of a dividing cell. Microtubules go through quick cycles of...
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Microtubules in Asgard archaea.

Florian Wollweber1, Jingwei Xu1, Rafael I Ponce-Toledo2

  • 1Department of Biology, Institute of Molecular Biology & Biophysics, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, Otto-Stern-Weg 5, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland.

Cell
|March 22, 2025
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Summary

Microtubule-forming tubulins discovered in Asgard archaea, the closest relatives to eukaryotes, suggest a pre-eukaryotic origin for these essential cellular structures. These archaeal tubulins assemble into eukaryote-like microtubules.

Keywords:
LokiarchaeotaPVC bacteriacryoelectron microscopycryoelectron tomographycytomotive filamentscytoskeletoneukaryogenesisexpansion microscopymicrotubule evolutiontubulin

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Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Microtubules are crucial eukaryotic structures formed by α/β-tubulin heterodimers.
  • Tubulin homologs in archaea and bacteria typically form non-tubular structures.
  • The evolutionary origin of microtubule assembly remains largely unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the origin of microtubule-forming tubulins.
  • To characterize tubulin homologs in Asgard archaea, the closest known relatives to eukaryotes.
  • To elucidate the assembly mechanisms of archaeal tubulins.

Main Methods:

  • Proteomics analysis of Candidatus Lokiarchaeum ossiferum.
  • Cryoelectron microscopy (Cryo-EM) for structural determination.
  • In vitro polymerization assays.
  • Cryo-tomography and expansion microscopy for cellular visualization.

Main Results:

  • Discovery of Asgard tubulins (AtubA/B) in Asgard archaea, closely related to eukaryotic tubulins.
  • AtubA/B form eukaryote-like heterodimers that assemble into 5-protofilament microtubules in vitro.
  • A paralog, AtubB2, lacking a nucleotide-binding site, forms 7-protofilament non-canonical microtubules with AtubA/B.
  • In situ, AtubA/B forms cytoskeletal assemblies and tubular structures within Ca. Lokiarchaeum ossiferum cells.

Conclusions:

  • Microtubule formation predates the emergence of eukaryotes, originating in the archaeal lineage.
  • Asgard archaea possess functional microtubule-forming tubulins with conserved and divergent assembly properties.
  • This discovery provides insights into the fundamental principles of microtubule evolution and assembly.