Microtubule Imaging
Microtubule Imaging - 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.
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.
06:02
Live Imaging to Study Microtubule Dynamic Instability in Taxane-resistant Breast Cancers
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Cited by 3 •
2017
In this paper, we report a protocol describing an in vivo method to measure microtubule dynamic instability in docetaxel-resistant breast cancer cells (MCF-7TXT). In this method, a deconvolution microscopy imaging system is used to detect the expression of GFP-tubulin in target cells.
10:25
High-resolution Time-lapse Imaging and Automated Analysis of Microtubule Dynamics in Living Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells
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Cited by 5 •
2016
Protocols for Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cell (HUVEC) culture, transient transfection of fluorescently-labeled markers of microtubule growth, live-cell imaging and automated analysis of interphase microtubule growth dynamics are detailed.
04:28
Microtubule Binding Assay in CRC Cells: A Method to Examine Microtubule Binding Tau Protein in Colorectal Cancer Cells
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2023
This video describes the microtubule-binding assay used to separate the microtubule-binding tau protein from non-binding hyperphosphorylated tau protein fractions in colorectal cancer cells. This assay helps determine the effect of various chemicals that can alter the phosphorylation status of tau protein, affecting its microtubule binding.
FAQs
Tracking microtubule growth, shrinkage, orientation, and movement separates structural organization from dynamic remodeling. Growth and shrinkage indicate how polymers change over time, whereas orientation shows how they are arranged within neuronal compartments. Movement adds information about transport-related behavior. Together, these measurements help connect cytoskeletal changes with neuronal polarity, development, and intracellular organization.
Fluorescent probes and antibodies provide complementary ways to mark microtubules for microscopy. The resulting signals can reveal where microtubules are distributed and organized, while measurements collected across observations can indicate changes in growth, shrinkage, orientation, or movement. This distinction allows investigators to examine both microtubule arrangement and remodeling in neuronal structures such as axons and dendrites.
Microtubule orientation provides information about how the cytoskeleton is arranged within different parts of a neuron. Comparing orientation in axons and dendrites can help researchers relate organization to neuronal polarity, the distinction between these cellular compartments. When orientation is assessed alongside movement and remodeling, imaging can clarify how cytoskeletal architecture supports intracellular transport and neuronal communication.
Imaging can place microtubule arrangement, movement, and motor-driven transport within the same cellular context. Observing these features in axons and dendrites helps researchers examine how transport-related activity depends on the organization and remodeling of microtubules. This connection is especially relevant when studying how neuronal structure and communication are maintained or altered.
A basic workflow begins by labeling microtubules with fluorescent probes or antibodies, followed by fluorescence microscopy of the neuronal structures being studied. Researchers then examine signal distribution and assess features such as organization, growth, shrinkage, orientation, or movement. Applying the same measurements to axons and dendrites supports comparisons between neuronal compartments and their cytoskeletal behavior.
Researchers use this approach when they need to examine how microtubule remodeling and transport contribute to neuronal development, polarity, or communication. Imaging can also compare cytoskeletal organization between axons and dendrites. These measurements provide a way to relate visible changes in microtubule behavior to broader changes in neuronal structure and intracellular organization.
Microtubule imaging helps characterize cytoskeletal defects associated with neurodegeneration by revealing altered organization, distribution, dynamics, or movement. It can also be used to evaluate whether an experimental treatment changes neuronal structure or transport. Comparing imaging measurements across conditions therefore provides evidence about how disease-associated changes or interventions affect the neuronal cytoskeleton.