Microtubule Depolymerization
Microtubule Depolymerization - Related Videos
12:20
Preparation of Segmented Microtubules to Study Motions Driven by the Disassembling Microtubule Ends
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Cited by 24 •
2014
Microtubules are inherently unstable polymers, and their switching between growth and shortening is stochastic and difficult to control. Here we describe protocols using segmented microtubules with photoablatable stabilizing caps. Depolymerization of segmented microtubules can be triggered with high temporal and spatial resolution, thereby assisting analysis of motions with the disassembling microtubule ends.
12:38
Use of Immunolabeling to Analyze Stable, Dynamic, and Nascent Microtubules in the Zebrafish Embryo
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Cited by 1 •
2017
Immunolabeling methods to analyze distinct populations of microtubules in the developing zebrafish brain are described here, which are broadly applicable to other tissues. The first protocol outlines an optimized method for immunolabeling stable and dynamic microtubules. The second protocol provides a method to image and quantify nascent microtubules specifically.
01:19
Actin Filament Depolymerization
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2023
Actin filaments (F-actin) are composed of actin subunits. The dissociation of actin monomers can occur from either end of F-actin. The rate of dissociation is faster from the minus-end or the pointed end, where the actin subunits exist with a bound ADP, together known as ADP-actin. The depolymerization of F-actin is aided by proteins, including the actin-depolymerizing factor (ADF) and cofilin family of proteins, gelsolin, and glia maturation factor (GMF). In F-actin, the ADF/cofilin proteins...
10:23
High-resolution Imaging and Analysis of Individual Astral Microtubule Dynamics in Budding Yeast
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Cited by 33 •
2017
Budding yeast is an advantageous model for studying microtubule dynamics in vivo due to its powerful genetics and the simplicity of its microtubule cytoskeleton. The following protocol describes how to transform and culture yeast cells, acquire confocal microscopy images, and quantitatively analyze microtubule dynamics in living yeast cells.
10:01
Production of Xenopus tropicalis Egg Extracts to Identify Microtubule-associated RNAs
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Cited by 1 •
2013
We describe the collection of unfertilized Xenopus tropicalis eggs and production of a meiosis II-arrested egg extract. This egg extract can be used to purify microtubules and microtubule-associated RNAs.
FAQs
The GTP cap acts as a stabilizing region at the microtubule end. Newly incorporated GTP-bound tubulin helps maintain the assembled structure, whereas hydrolysis behind the cap weakens tubulin interactions. As the protective cap is lost or no longer offsets this weakening, the end becomes prone to rapid shortening, linking nucleotide state to structural instability.
GTP hydrolysis changes the stability of tubulin interactions within the microtubule lattice behind the cap. This weakened region can promote catastrophe, a transition toward rapid shortening. The resulting depolymerization allows the microtubule to reorganize rather than remain persistently extended, making nucleotide processing a key regulator of cytoskeletal remodeling.
Tubulin incorporation extends the microtubule by adding GTP-bound subunits, while depolymerization removes subunits and shortens the structure. Their opposing effects provide a way to remodel microtubules rather than maintain a fixed length. The balance between these processes helps cells adjust internal architecture during changes in shape, polarity, transport, and division.
End shortening rapidly changes the location and length of a microtubule, allowing the cytoskeleton to reorganize its internal architecture. This is important when cells remodel the mitotic spindle, alter polarity, transport materials within the cell, or change shape. Depolymerization therefore connects molecular-scale tubulin dynamics with larger structural changes in cell organization.
Examining the timing and extent of shortening can reveal how cells remodel microtubule networks during mitosis, intracellular transport, polarity changes, and shape changes. These observations help connect tubulin behavior with cytoskeletal function. They also provide a way to study how disrupted dynamics may contribute to abnormal cell division or intracellular transport.
Microtubule depolymerization is relevant to research on microtubule-targeting drugs because altering shortening can affect cytoskeletal remodeling and spindle behavior. It also provides context for diseases involving abnormal cell division or transport. Studying the process helps researchers relate changes in tubulin dynamics to cellular outcomes rather than viewing microtubules as static structures.