Article
Cell Biology
Sahana Shankar, Zi-Ting Hsu, Artur Ezquerra, Chien-Chien Li, Tzu-Lun Huang, Etienne Coyaud, Ricardo Viais, Cedric Grauffel, Brian Raught, Carmay Lim, Jens Luders, Su-Yi Tsai, Kuo-Chiang Hsia
Summary: This study reveals a y-tubulin ring complex (y-TuRC)-dependent pathway that promotes cilia disassembly and prevents cilia formation. It is further demonstrated that Kif2A is recruited to the cilium basal body in a y-TuRC-dependent manner. These findings illustrate the important role of y-TuRC in ciliogenesis.
Article
Biology
Michael J. Rale, Brianna Romer, Brian P. Mahon, Sophie M. Travis, Sabine Petry
Summary: In this study, we provide the first real-time observation that γ TuNA directly increases γ TuRC activity, confirming it as a bona fide γ TuRC activator. We further validate this effect and demonstrate that γ TuNA's activating effect opposes inhibitory regulation by stathmin.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tianyu Wu, Jie Dong, Jing Fu, Yanping Kuang, Biaobang Chen, Hao Gu, Yuxi Luo, Ruihuan Gu, Meiling Zhang, Wen Li, Xi Dong, Xiaoxi Sun, Qing Sang, Lei Wang
Summary: This study identified a structure called huoMTOC in human oocytes and revealed its essential role in spindle assembly. The huoMTOC originates beneath the oocyte cortex, migrates near the nuclear envelope, and fragments to initiate microtubule nucleation and spindle assembly.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hsuan Cheng, Yu-Lin Kao, Ting Chen, Lohitaksh Sharma, Wen-Ting Yang, Yi-Chien Chuang, Shih-Han Huang, Hong-Rui Lin, Yao-Shen Huang, Chi-Ling Kao, Lee-Wei Yang, Rachel Bearon, Hui-Chun Cheng, Kuo-Chiang Hsia, Yu-Chun Lin
Summary: The centrosome, a non-membranous organelle, has a size-dependent diffusion barrier that is regulated by actin filaments and plays a role in protein complex localization.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sophie M. Travis, Brian P. Mahon, Wei Huang, Meisheng Ma, Michael J. Rale, Jodi Kraus, Derek J. Taylor, Rui Zhang, Sabine Petry
Summary: This study reveals the role of the augmin complex in microtubule branching through a structural model. By using cryo-electron microscopy and negative stain electron microscopy, the location and microtubule binding site of the augmin complex were identified. Evolutionary analysis shows that the structure and function of augmin are highly conserved across eukaryotes. These findings provide new insights into the mechanism of microtubule branching.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Diogjena Katerina Prifti, Annie Lauzier, Sabine Elowe
Summary: TEM4 is a critical protein involved in the regulation of cytoskeleton and plays essential roles in cell migration, cell-cell junction formation, and mitosis. However, a commonly used TEM4 antibody in Western blotting and immunocytochemistry also cross-reacts with NuMA, which may affect the interpretation of experiments using this antibody probe.
Article
Biology
Michaela Nejedla, Anastasiya Klebanovych, Vadym Sulimenko, Tetyana Sulimenko, Eduarda Draberova, Pavel Draber, Roger Karlsson
Summary: Profilin 1 is a crucial actin regulator that interacts with microtubules and influences microtubule growth, thus facilitating the coordination of actin and microtubule organization.
LIFE SCIENCE ALLIANCE
(2021)
Review
Oncology
Pavel Draber, Eduarda Draberova
Summary: The dysfunction of microtubule nucleation in cancer cells alters the cytoskeleton organization and cellular physiology, with a focus on dysregulation of the gamma-tubulin ring complex (gamma-TuRC) proteins. Recent research on the high-resolution structure of gamma-TuRC provides new insights into the mechanism of microtubule nucleation, potentially offering new drug targets for cancer chemotherapy.
Review
Cell Biology
Vadym Sulimenko, Eduarda Draberova, Pavel Draber
Summary: This article reviews the role of gamma-tubulin in microtubule nucleation and its potential functions. Recent studies have provided insights into the structure, activation, and centrosomal recruitment of the gamma-tubulin ring complex (gamma-TuRC), shedding light on the molecular mechanism of microtubule nucleation. Furthermore, gamma-tubulin may also have specific nuclear functions and be involved in cross-talk between microtubules and microfilaments at the centrosome.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Cell Biology
Chithran Vineethakumari, Jens Luders
Summary: Microtubules, composed of alpha- and beta-tubulin, are dynamic polymers that play essential roles in intracellular transport and chromosome segregation. Microtubule arrays are generated with the help of microtubule organizing centers (MTOCs), which combine nucleation and anchoring activities. While nucleation is mediated by the gamma-tubulin ring complex (gamma TuRC), the molecules and mechanisms involved in microtubule anchoring are less well characterized. This article discusses the challenges and consequences of defective microtubule anchoring.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Daniela Londono-Vasquez, Katherine Rodriguez-Lukey, Susanta K. Behura, Ahmed Z. Balboula
Summary: Through studying mouse oocytes, researchers discovered a subset of microtubule organizing centers called mcMTOCs that regulate the positioning of the spindle and faithful chromosome segregation during meiosis I. They found that mcMTOCs work in conjunction with F-actin to balance the forces exerted on the spindle and ensure its central anchoring and timely migration.
DEVELOPMENTAL CELL
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Anna Bohler, Bram J. A. Vermeulen, Martin Wurtz, Erik Zupa, Stefan Pfeffer, Elmar Schiebel
Summary: Microtubules are protein cylinders with various functions in cells, and their dynamic architecture allows for growth and shrinkage. In higher eukaryotes, microtubule assembly is initiated by the gamma-tubulin ring complex, with recent breakthroughs in structural analysis and recombinant reconstitution providing new insights into its functioning.
Article
Cell Biology
Peng Liu, Martin Wuertz, Erik Zupa, Stefan Pfeffer, Elmar Schiebel
Summary: Microtubules, essential cytoskeletal elements assembled from ab-tubulin dimers, have their nucleation initiated by the gamma-TuRC complex. Recent cryoelectron microscopy studies and in vitro assays have revealed the molecular organization and potential activation mechanisms of gamma-TuRC, deepening our understanding of microtubule nucleation mechanisms.
CURRENT OPINION IN CELL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Anastasiya Klebanovych, Stanislav Vinopal, Eduarda Draberova, Vladimira Sladkova, Tetyana Sulimenko, Vadym Sulimenko, Vera Vosecka, Libor Macurek, Agustin Legido, Pavel Draber
Summary: ER distribution relies on microtubules, and disruption of ER homeostasis activates the unfolded protein response, leading to ER remodeling. UFL1 and C53 interact with gamma-tubulin ring complex proteins and regulate microtubule nucleation in response to ER stress. These findings reveal a novel mechanism for alleviating ER stress through stimulation of centrosomal microtubule nucleation.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jeremy Magescas, Sani Eskinazi, Michael Tran, Jessica L. Feldman
Summary: This study utilized C. elegans as a model organism to identify a minimal module of proteins required for centrosomal MTOC function by analyzing natural spatial separation of PCM proteins during mitotic exit. The research found that SPD-5 and gamma-TuRC play essential roles in driving MTOC function in centriole-less PCM structure. The study highlights the intrinsic ability of these proteins to regulate microtubule growth and organization, with SPD-5 identified as the primary driver of MTOC function at the PCM.
Article
Cell Biology
Aude Espigat-Georger, Vyacheslav Dyachuk, Cecile Chemin, Laurent Emorine, Andreas Merdes
JOURNAL OF CELL SCIENCE
(2016)
Editorial Material
Cell Biology
Andreas Merdes
Summary: The researchers reconstituted a recombinant complex that allows the study of structure-function relationships and regulatory mechanisms of the native α-tubulin ring complex.
JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Nicolas Lecland, Chiung-Yueh Hsu, Cecile Chemin, Andreas Merdes, Christiane Bierkamp
LIFE SCIENCE ALLIANCE
(2019)
