In the lab of Dr. Isabelle Vernos at the Center for Genomic Regulation in Barcelona, Spain I investigated microtubule dynamics during cell division. (radikes.com)
I was interested in determining if the mitotic kinesins and dynein played a role in nucleation, stabilization and/or organization of the acentrosomal asters. (radikes.com)
In vitro assays for microtubule motor proteins such as dynein and kinesin are researched by fluorescently tagging a microtubule and fixing either the microtubule or motor proteins to a microscope slide, then visualizing the slide with video-enhanced microscopy to record the travel of the motor proteins. (wikipedia.org)
Most notably, oMAP4 is required for paraxial microtubule organisation in muscle cells and prevents dynein- and kinesin-driven microtubule-microtubule sliding. (elifesciences.org)
We propose a model in which the cooperation of dynein-mediated microtubule transport and oMAP4-mediated zippering of microtubules drives formation of a paraxial microtubule array that provides critical support for the polarisation and elongation of myotubes. (elifesciences.org)
Spindle4
In addition to this cell work I learned how to harvest Xenopus laevis extracts, how to deplete key mitotic regulators from the extract and how to induce the formation of spindles in these extracts, in order to probe how key mitotic factors regulate microtubules dynamics and spindle formation. (radikes.com)
Microtubules are nucleated and organized by microtubule-organizing centres, such as the centrosome found in the center of many animal cells or the basal bodies of cilia and flagella, or the spindle pole bodies found in most fungi. (wikipedia.org)
Depletion of PIP4KIIγ enhanced the spindle pole accumulation of mitotic centromere-associated kinesin (MCAK), a microtubule (MT)-depolymerizing kinesin, and resulted in a less stable spindle pole-associated MT. Depletion of MCAK can ameliorate PIP4KIIγ depletion-induced spindle abnormalities. (biomedcentral.com)
The spindle microtubule (MT) exhibits highly regulated dynamic instability, with frequent polymerization and depolymerization occurring at both the plus and minus ends. (biomedcentral.com)
The microtubule cytoskeleton is critical for muscle cell differentiation and undergoes reorganisation into an array of paraxial microtubules, which serves as template for contractile sarcomere formation. (elifesciences.org)
Vitro2
Typically, microtubules are formed by the parallel association of thirteen protofilaments, although microtubules composed of fewer or more protofilaments have been observed in various species as well as in vitro. (wikipedia.org)
Purified oMAP4 aligns dynamic microtubules into antiparallel bundles that withstand motor forces in vitro. (elifesciences.org)
Proteins3
They are formed by the polymerization of a dimer of two globular proteins, alpha and beta tubulin into protofilaments that can then associate laterally to form a hollow tube, the microtubule. (wikipedia.org)
The experiments also found that oMAP4 can create links between different microtubules and act as a brake to prevent the filaments being moved excessively by motor proteins. (elifesciences.org)
Polymerization1
I found motors that seemed to affect microtubule nucleation or stabilization, microtubule polymerization, and microtubule organization. (radikes.com)
Processes4
Microtubules play an important role in a number of cellular processes. (wikipedia.org)
Tubulin and microtubule-mediated processes, like cell locomotion, were seen by early microscopists, like Leeuwenhoek (1677). (wikipedia.org)
Consequently, some microtubule processes can be determined by kymograph. (wikipedia.org)
Therefore, the next challenge is to understand how other processes-such as the selective stabilisation of some microtubules and the movement of cell materials along the microtubules-cooperate to control muscle fibre formation. (elifesciences.org)
Long3
Microtubules can be as long as 50 micrometres, as wide as 23 to 27 nm and have an inner diameter between 11 and 15 nm. (wikipedia.org)
In eukaryotes, microtubules are long, hollow cylinders made up of polymerized α- and β-tubulin dimers. (wikipedia.org)
Within the myoblasts, long filaments called microtubules are arranged in an overlapping linear pattern. (elifesciences.org)
Found1
Recently an actin-like protein has been found in the gram-positive bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, which forms a microtubule-like structure called a nanotubule, involved in plasmid segregation. (wikipedia.org)
Form3
The most common form of a microtubule consists of 13 protofilaments in the tubular arrangement. (wikipedia.org)
These α/β-tubulin dimers polymerize end-to-end into linear protofilaments that associate laterally to form a single microtubule, which can then be extended by the addition of more α/β-tubulin dimers. (wikipedia.org)
The microtubules in cells that make smaller amounts of this protein were more disorganised, and these cells were unable to fuse with each other to form muscle cells. (elifesciences.org)
Critical1
Microtubules have a distinct polarity that is critical for their biological function. (wikipedia.org)
In vitro assays for microtubule motor proteins such as dynein and kinesin are researched by fluorescently tagging a microtubule and fixing either the microtubule or motor proteins to a microscope slide, then visualizing the slide with video-enhanced microscopy to record the travel of the motor proteins. (wikipedia.org)
We show that doublecortin-stabilised microtubules are substrates for kinesin translocase motors and for depolymerase kinesins. (nih.gov)
They are formed by the polymerization of a dimer of two globular proteins, alpha and beta tubulin into protofilaments that can then associate laterally to form a hollow tube, the microtubule. (wikipedia.org)
Tubulin and microtubule-mediated processes, like cell locomotion, were seen by early microscopists, like Leeuwenhoek (1677). (wikipedia.org)
In eukaryotes, microtubules are long, hollow cylinders made up of polymerized α- and β-tubulin dimers. (wikipedia.org)
These α/β-tubulin dimers polymerize end-to-end into linear protofilaments that associate laterally to form a single microtubule, which can then be extended by the addition of more α/β-tubulin dimers. (wikipedia.org)
In addition, doublecortin does not itself oligomerise and does not bind to tubulin heterodimers but does nucleate microtubules. (nih.gov)
Segregation1
Recently an actin-like protein has been found in the gram-positive bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, which forms a microtubule-like structure called a nanotubule, involved in plasmid segregation. (wikipedia.org)
Katanin5
1993). This essential function for katanin in spindle formation for increasing microtubule density in meiotic spindles. (nih.gov)
THE is katanin independent, and is likely driven by motor-dependent reinhardtii to humans, but its biological roles remain poorly sliding of overlapping microtubules. (nih.gov)
However, two recent studies signi cantly advance spindle-shortening phase, which occurs during anaphase chro- our understanding of katanin-mediated microtubule severing. (nih.gov)
p. 881) show that microtubule in microtubule density at the poles and a shift in microtubule severing by katanin controls the length and microtubule distri- density from the poles to the chromosomes. (nih.gov)
2006) showing that katanin-mediated severing poles results in microtubule disassembly and spindle shortening. (nih.gov)
Protofilaments5
The most common form of a microtubule consists of 13 protofilaments in the tubular arrangement. (wikipedia.org)
The protofilaments bundle parallel to one another with the same polarity, so, in a microtubule, there is one end, the (+) end, with only β-subunits exposed, while the other end, the (−) end, has only α-subunits exposed. (wikipedia.org)
There are two distinct types of interactions that can occur between the subunits of lateral protofilaments within the microtubule called the A-type and B-type lattices. (wikipedia.org)
However, it is a potent anti-catastrophe factor that stabilises microtubules by linking adjacent protofilaments and counteracting their outward bending in depolymerising microtubules. (nih.gov)
How doublecortin influences microtubule dynamics, and thereby brain development, is unclear. (nih.gov)
Spindles1
Centrosome separation relies on multiple pathways, including cortical forces and antiparallel microtubule (MT) sliding, which are two activities controlled by the protein kinase aurora A. We previously found that depletion of the human kinetochore protein Mcm21R CENP-O results in monopolar spindles, raising the question as to whether kinetochores contribute to centrosome separation. (rupress.org)
Consists1
In mei-2 mutants, the meiotic spindle is longer, indicating that microtubule-severing enzyme (which consists of a catalytic severing controls spindle length. (nih.gov)
Distinct2
Microtubules have a distinct polarity that is critical for their biological function. (wikipedia.org)
These distinct properties combine to give doublecortin a unique function in microtubule regulation, a role that cannot be compensated for by other microtubule-stabilising proteins and nucleating factors. (nih.gov)
Growth2
We show here by video microscopy that purified doublecortin has no effect on the growth rate of microtubules. (nih.gov)
In contrast, oocytes do not contain centrosomes, and spindle somal microtubule arrays by generating new seeds for BIOLOGY formation occurs by chromatin-based microtubule nucleation microtubule growth. (nih.gov)
Common1
Making more microtubules by severing: a common theme of noncentrosomal microtubule arrays? (nih.gov)
Function1
In cells, doublecortin is enriched at the distal ends of neuronal processes and our data raise the possibility that the function of doublecortin in neurons is to drive assembly and stabilisation of non-centrosomal microtubules in these doublecortin-enriched distal zones. (nih.gov)
Ends1
While microtubule elongation can occur at both the (+) and (−) ends, it is significantly more rapid at the (+) end. (wikipedia.org)