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McCormick LA, Cleary JM, Hancock WO, Rice LM. Interface-acting nucleotide controls polymerization dynamics at microtubule plus- and minus-ends. eLife 2024; 12:RP89231. [PMID: 38180336 PMCID: PMC10945504 DOI: 10.7554/elife.89231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2024] Open
Abstract
GTP-tubulin is preferentially incorporated at growing microtubule ends, but the biochemical mechanism by which the bound nucleotide regulates the strength of tubulin:tubulin interactions is debated. The 'self-acting' (cis) model posits that the nucleotide (GTP or GDP) bound to a particular tubulin dictates how strongly that tubulin interacts, whereas the 'interface-acting' (trans) model posits that the nucleotide at the interface of two tubulin dimers is the determinant. We identified a testable difference between these mechanisms using mixed nucleotide simulations of microtubule elongation: with a self-acting nucleotide, plus- and minus-end growth rates decreased in the same proportion to the amount of GDP-tubulin, whereas with interface-acting nucleotide, plus-end growth rates decreased disproportionately. We then experimentally measured plus- and minus-end elongation rates in mixed nucleotides and observed a disproportionate effect of GDP-tubulin on plus-end growth rates. Simulations of microtubule growth were consistent with GDP-tubulin binding at and 'poisoning' plus-ends but not at minus-ends. Quantitative agreement between simulations and experiments required nucleotide exchange at terminal plus-end subunits to mitigate the poisoning effect of GDP-tubulin there. Our results indicate that the interfacial nucleotide determines tubulin:tubulin interaction strength, thereby settling a longstanding debate over the effect of nucleotide state on microtubule dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren A McCormick
- Department of Biophysics and Biochemistry, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterDallasUnited States
| | - Joseph M Cleary
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pennsylvania State UniversityState CollegeUnited States
| | - William O Hancock
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pennsylvania State UniversityState CollegeUnited States
| | - Luke M Rice
- Department of Biophysics and Biochemistry, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterDallasUnited States
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2
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McCormick LA, Cleary JM, Hancock WO, Rice LM. Interface-acting nucleotide controls polymerization dynamics at microtubule plus- and minus-ends. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.05.03.539131. [PMID: 37205370 PMCID: PMC10187237 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.03.539131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
GTP-tubulin is preferentially incorporated at growing microtubule ends, but the biochemical mechanism by which the bound nucleotide regulates the strength of tubulin:tubulin interactions is debated. The 'self-acting' (cis) model posits that the nucleotide (GTP or GDP) bound to a particular tubulin dictates how strongly that tubulin interacts, whereas the 'interface-acting' (trans) model posits that the nucleotide at the interface of two tubulin dimers is the determinant. We identified a testable difference between these mechanisms using mixed nucleotide simulations of microtubule elongation: with self-acting nucleotide, plus- and minus-end growth rates decreased in the same proportion to the amount of GDP-tubulin, whereas with interface-acting nucleotide, plus-end growth rates decreased disproportionately. We then experimentally measured plus- and minus-end elongation rates in mixed nucleotides and observed a disproportionate effect of GDP-tubulin on plus-end growth rates. Simulations of microtubule growth were consistent with GDP-tubulin binding at and 'poisoning' plus-ends but not at minus-ends. Quantitative agreement between simulations and experiments required nucleotide exchange at terminal plus-end subunits to mitigate the poisoning effect of GDP-tubulin there. Our results indicate that the interfacial nucleotide determines tubulin:tubulin interaction strength, thereby settling a longstanding debate over the effect of nucleotide state on microtubule dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren A McCormick
- Department of Biophysics and Biochemistry, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
| | - Joseph M Cleary
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
| | - William O Hancock
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
| | - Luke M Rice
- Department of Biophysics and Biochemistry, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
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3
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Tubulin Cytoskeleton in Neurodegenerative Diseases–not Only Primary Tubulinopathies. Cell Mol Neurobiol 2022:10.1007/s10571-022-01304-6. [DOI: 10.1007/s10571-022-01304-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
AbstractNeurodegenerative diseases represent a large group of disorders characterized by gradual loss of neurons and functions of the central nervous systems. Their course is usually severe, leading to high morbidity and subsequent inability of patients to independent functioning. Vast majority of neurodegenerative diseases is currently untreatable, and only some symptomatic drugs are available which efficacy is usually very limited. To develop novel therapies for this group of diseases, it is crucial to understand their pathogenesis and to recognize factors which can influence the disease course. One of cellular structures which dysfunction appears to be relatively poorly understood in the light of neurodegenerative diseases is tubulin cytoskeleton. On the other hand, its changes, both structural and functional, can considerably influence cell physiology, leading to pathological processes occurring also in neurons. In this review, we summarize and discuss dysfunctions of tubulin cytoskeleton in various neurodegenerative diseases different than primary tubulinopathies (caused by mutations in genes encoding the components of the tubulin cytoskeleton), especially Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, prion diseases, and neuronopathic mucopolysaccharidoses. It is also proposed that correction of these disorders might attenuate the progress of specific diseases, thus, finding newly recognized molecular targets for potential drugs might become possible.
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4
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Hoff KJ, Neumann AJ, Moore JK. The molecular biology of tubulinopathies: Understanding the impact of variants on tubulin structure and microtubule regulation. Front Cell Neurosci 2022; 16:1023267. [PMID: 36406756 PMCID: PMC9666403 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2022.1023267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Heterozygous, missense mutations in both α- and β-tubulin genes have been linked to an array of neurodevelopment disorders, commonly referred to as "tubulinopathies." To date, tubulinopathy mutations have been identified in three β-tubulin isotypes and one α-tubulin isotype. These mutations occur throughout the different genetic domains and protein structures of these tubulin isotypes, and the field is working to address how this molecular-level diversity results in different cellular and tissue-level pathologies. Studies from many groups have focused on elucidating the consequences of individual mutations; however, the field lacks comprehensive models for the molecular etiology of different types of tubulinopathies, presenting a major gap in diagnosis and treatment. This review highlights recent advances in understanding tubulin structural dynamics, the roles microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) play in microtubule regulation, and how these are inextricably linked. We emphasize the value of investigating interactions between tubulin structures, microtubules, and MAPs to understand and predict the impact of tubulinopathy mutations at the cell and tissue levels. Microtubule regulation is multifaceted and provides a complex set of controls for generating a functional cytoskeleton at the right place and right time during neurodevelopment. Understanding how tubulinopathy mutations disrupt distinct subsets of those controls, and how that ultimately disrupts neurodevelopment, will be important for establishing mechanistic themes among tubulinopathies that may lead to insights in other neurodevelopment disorders and normal neurodevelopment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jeffrey K. Moore
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, United States
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5
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Effects of length-dependent positive feedback on length distributions of microtubules undergoing hydrolysis. J Biosci 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s12038-022-00255-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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6
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Abstract
The mechanochemical basis of microtubule growth, which is essential for the normal function and division of eukaryotic cells, has remained elusive and controversial, despite extensive work. In particular, recent findings have created the paradox that the microtubule plus-end tips look very similar during both growing and shrinking phases, thereby challenging the traditional textbook picture. Our large-scale atomistic simulations resolve this paradox and explain microtubule growth and shrinkage dynamics as a process governed by energy barriers between protofilament conformations, the heights of which are in turn fine-tuned by different nucleotide states, thus implementing an information-driven Brownian ratchet. Microtubules (MTs), mesoscopic cellular filaments, grow primarily by the addition of GTP-bound tubulin dimers at their dynamic flaring plus-end tips. They operate as chemomechanical energy transducers with stochastic transitions to an astounding shortening motion upon hydrolyzing GTP to GDP. Time-resolved dynamics of the MT tip—a key determinant of this behavior—as a function of nucleotide state, internal lattice strain, and stabilizing lateral interactions have not been fully understood. Here we use atomistic simulations to study the spontaneous relaxation of complete GTP-MT and GDP-MT tip models from unfavorable straight to relaxed splayed conformations and to comprehensively characterize the elasticity of MT tips. Our simulations reveal the dominance of viscoelastic dynamics of MT protofilaments during the relaxation process, driven by the stored bending-torsional strain and counterbalanced by the interprotofilament interactions. We show that the posthydrolysis MT tip is exposed to higher activation energy barriers for straight lattice formation, which translates into its inability to elongate. Our study provides an information-driven Brownian ratchet mechanism for the elastic energy conversion and release by MT tips and offers insights into the mechanoenzymatics of MTs.
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7
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Wu R, Guzman-Sepulveda J, Kalra A, Tuszynski J, Dogariu A. Thermal hysteresis in microtubule assembly/disassembly dynamics: The aging-induced degradation of tubulin dimers. Biochem Biophys Rep 2022; 29:101199. [PMID: 35036585 PMCID: PMC8749447 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrep.2021.101199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2021] [Revised: 12/29/2021] [Accepted: 12/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The assembly/disassembly of biological macromolecules plays an important role in their biological functionalities. Although the dynamics of tubulin polymers and their super-assembly into microtubule structures is critical for many cellular processes, details of their cyclical polymerization/depolymerization are not fully understood. Here, we use a specially designed light scattering technique to continuously examine the effects of temperature cycling on the process of microtubule assembly/disassembly. We observe a thermal hysteresis loop during tubulin assembly/disassembly, consistently with earlier reports on the coexistence of tubulin and microtubules as a phase transition. In a cyclical process, the structural hysteresis has a kinetic component that depends on the rate of temperature change but also an intrinsic thermodynamic component that depends on the protein topology, possibly related to irreversible processes. Analyzing the evolution of such thermal hysteresis loops over successive cycles, we found that the assembly/disassembly ceases after some time, which is indicative of protein aging leading to its inability to self-assemble after a finite number of temperature cycles. The emergence of assembly-incompetent tubulin could have major consequences for human pathologies related to microtubules, including aging, neurodegenerative diseases and cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- R. Wu
- CREOL, College of Optics and Photonics, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, 32816, USA
| | - J.R. Guzman-Sepulveda
- CREOL, College of Optics and Photonics, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, 32816, USA
| | - A.P. Kalra
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, 11335 Saskatchewan Dr NW, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2M9, Canada
| | - J.A. Tuszynski
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, 11335 Saskatchewan Dr NW, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2M9, Canada
- DIMEAS, Polytechnic di Torino, Turin, I-10129, Italy
| | - A. Dogariu
- CREOL, College of Optics and Photonics, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, 32816, USA
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8
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Effects of random hydrolysis on biofilament length distributions in a shared subunit pool. Biophys J 2022; 121:502-514. [PMID: 34954156 PMCID: PMC8822617 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2021.12.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2020] [Revised: 08/15/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The sizes of filamentous structures in a cell are often regulated for many physiological processes. A key question in cell biology is how such size control is achieved. Here, we theoretically study the length distributions of multiple filaments, growing by stochastic assembly and disassembly of subunits from a limiting subunit pool. Importantly, we consider a chemical switching of subunits (hydrolysis) prevalent in many biofilaments like microtubules (MTs). We show by simulations of different models that hydrolysis leads to a skewed unimodal length distribution for a single MT. In contrast, hydrolysis can lead to bimodal distributions of individual lengths for two MTs, where individual filaments toggle stochastically between bigger and smaller sizes. For more than two MTs, length distributions are also bimodal, although the bimodality becomes less prominent. We further show that this collective phenomenon is connected with the nonequilibrium nature of hydrolysis, and the bimodality disappears for reversible dynamics. Consistent with earlier theoretical studies, a homogeneous subunit pool, without hydrolysis, cannot control filament lengths. We thus elucidate the role of hydrolysis as a control mechanism on MT length diversity.
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9
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Structural transitions in the GTP cap visualized by cryo-electron microscopy of catalytically inactive microtubules. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:2114994119. [PMID: 34996871 PMCID: PMC8764682 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2114994119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Microtubules (MTs) are polymers of αβ-tubulin heterodimers that stochastically switch between growth and shrinkage phases. This dynamic instability is critically important for MT function. It is believed that GTP hydrolysis within the MT lattice is accompanied by destabilizing conformational changes and that MT stability depends on a transiently existing GTP cap at the growing MT end. Here, we use cryo-electron microscopy and total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy of GTP hydrolysis-deficient MTs assembled from mutant recombinant human tubulin to investigate the structure of a GTP-bound MT lattice. We find that the GTP-MT lattice of two mutants in which the catalytically active glutamate in α-tubulin was substituted by inactive amino acids (E254A and E254N) is remarkably plastic. Undecorated E254A and E254N MTs with 13 protofilaments both have an expanded lattice but display opposite protofilament twists, making these lattices distinct from the compacted lattice of wild-type GDP-MTs. End-binding proteins of the EB family have the ability to compact both mutant GTP lattices and to stabilize a negative twist, suggesting that they promote this transition also in the GTP cap of wild-type MTs, thereby contributing to the maturation of the MT structure. We also find that the MT seam appears to be stabilized in mutant GTP-MTs and destabilized in GDP-MTs, supporting the proposal that the seam plays an important role in MT stability. Together, these structures of catalytically inactive MTs add mechanistic insight into the GTP state of MTs, the stability of the GTP- and GDP-bound lattice, and our overall understanding of MT dynamic instability.
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10
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Farmer V, Arpağ G, Hall SL, Zanic M. XMAP215 promotes microtubule catastrophe by disrupting the growing microtubule end. J Cell Biol 2021; 220:212518. [PMID: 34324632 PMCID: PMC8327381 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.202012144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2020] [Revised: 05/11/2021] [Accepted: 07/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The GTP-tubulin cap is widely accepted to protect microtubules against catastrophe. The GTP-cap size is thought to increase with the microtubule growth rate, presumably endowing fast-growing microtubules with enhanced stability. It is unknown what GTP-cap properties permit frequent microtubule catastrophe despite fast growth. Here, we investigate microtubules growing in the presence and absence of the polymerase XMAP215. Using EB1 as a GTP-cap marker, we find that GTP-cap size increases regardless of whether growth acceleration is achieved by increasing tubulin concentration or by XMAP215. Despite increased mean GTP-cap size, microtubules grown with XMAP215 display increased catastrophe frequency, in contrast to microtubules grown with more tubulin, for which catastrophe is abolished. However, microtubules polymerized with XMAP215 have large fluctuations in growth rate; display tapered and curled ends; and undergo catastrophe at faster growth rates and with higher EB1 end-localization. Our results suggest that structural perturbations induced by XMAP215 override the protective effects of the GTP-cap, ultimately driving microtubule catastrophe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronica Farmer
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
| | - Göker Arpağ
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
| | - Sarah L Hall
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
| | - Marija Zanic
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN.,Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN.,Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
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11
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Rao CMMP, Naidu N, Priya J, Rao KPC, Ranjith K, Shobha S, Chowdary BS, Siddiraju S, yadam S. Molecular docking and dynamic simulations of benzimidazoles with beta-tubulins. Bioinformation 2021; 17:404-412. [PMID: 34092961 PMCID: PMC8131577 DOI: 10.6026/97320630017404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2021] [Revised: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
It is of interest to document the molecular docking and dynamic simulations of benzimidazoles with beta-tubulins in the context of anthelmintic activity. We document the compound BI-02 (2-(3,4-dimethyl phenyl)-1H-1,3-benzimidazole (BI-02) with optimal bindig features compared to the standard molecule albendazole (7.0 Kcal/mol) with binding energy -8.50 Kcal/mol and PIC50 value 583.62 nM.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Narapusetty Naidu
- Department of Pharma Chemistry Bellamkonda Institute of Technology and Science, Podili, AP, India-523240
| | - Jhansi Priya
- Department of Pharma Chemistry Bellamkonda Institute of Technology and Science, Podili, AP, India-523240
| | - K Poorna Chandra Rao
- Department of Pharma Chemistry Baptla College of Pharmacy, Bapatla, AP, India-522201
| | - Kapu Ranjith
- Department of Pharma Chemistry Baptla College of Pharmacy, Bapatla, AP, India-522201
| | - Singarapalle Shobha
- Department of Pharma Chemistry Baptla College of Pharmacy, Bapatla, AP, India-522201
| | | | - Sridhar Siddiraju
- Department of Pharma Chemistry Malla Reddy College of Pharmacy, Secunderabad, Telangana India-500014
| | - Sabitha yadam
- CEO and Founder, Ciencia Life Sciences, Kukatpally, Hyderabad, India
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12
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Atomistic Basis of Microtubule Dynamic Instability Assessed Via Multiscale Modeling. Ann Biomed Eng 2021; 49:1716-1734. [PMID: 33537926 PMCID: PMC8302526 DOI: 10.1007/s10439-020-02715-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2020] [Accepted: 12/24/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Microtubule “dynamic instability,” the abrupt switching from assembly to disassembly caused by the hydrolysis of GTP to GDP within the β subunit of the αβ-tubulin heterodimer, is necessary for vital cellular processes such as mitosis and migration. Despite existing high-resolution structural data, the key mechanochemical differences between the GTP and GDP states that mediate dynamic instability behavior remain unclear. Starting with a published atomic-level structure as an input, we used multiscale modeling to find that GTP hydrolysis results in both longitudinal bond weakening (~ 4 kBT) and an outward bending preference (~ 1.5 kBT) to both drive dynamic instability and give rise to the microtubule tip structures previously observed by light and electron microscopy. More generally, our study provides an example where atomic level structural information is used as the sole input to predict cellular level dynamics without parameter adjustment.
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13
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Stewman SF, Tsui KK, Ma A. Dynamic Instability from Non-equilibrium Structural Transitions on the Energy Landscape of Microtubule. Cell Syst 2020; 11:608-624.e9. [PMID: 33086051 DOI: 10.1016/j.cels.2020.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2019] [Revised: 09/12/2019] [Accepted: 09/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Microtubules are the backbone of the cytoskeleton and vital to numerous cellular processes. The central dogma of microtubules is that all their functions are driven by dynamic instability, but its mechanism has remained unresolved for over 30 years because of conceptual difficulties inherent in the dominant GTP-cap framework. We present a physically rigorous structural mechanochemical model: dynamic instability is driven by non-equilibrium transitions between the bent (B), straight (S), and curved (C) forms of tubulin monomers and longitudinal interfaces in the two-dimensional lattice of microtubule. All the different phenomena (growth, shortening, catastrophe, rescue, and pausing) are controlled by the kinetic pathways for B↔S↔C transitions and corresponding energy landscapes. Different kinetics at minus end are due to different B↔S↔C pathways imposed by the polarity of microtubule lattice. This model enables us to reproduce all the observed phenomena of dynamic instability of purified tubulins in kinetic simulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannon F Stewman
- Department of Bioengineering, the University of Illinois at Chicago, 851 South Morgan Street, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Kenneth K Tsui
- Department of Bioengineering, the University of Illinois at Chicago, 851 South Morgan Street, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Ao Ma
- Department of Bioengineering, the University of Illinois at Chicago, 851 South Morgan Street, Chicago, IL 60607, USA.
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14
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Tong D, Voth GA. Microtubule Simulations Provide Insight into the Molecular Mechanism Underlying Dynamic Instability. Biophys J 2020; 118:2938-2951. [PMID: 32413312 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2020.04.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2019] [Revised: 04/20/2020] [Accepted: 04/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The dynamic instability of microtubules (MTs), which refers to their ability to switch between polymerization and depolymerization states, is crucial for their function. It has been proposed that the growing MT ends are protected by a "GTP cap" that consists of GTP-bound tubulin dimers. When the speed of GTP hydrolysis is faster than dimer recruitment, the loss of this GTP cap will lead the MT to undergo rapid disassembly. However, the underlying atomistic mechanistic details of the dynamic instability remains unclear. In this study, we have performed long-time atomistic molecular dynamics simulations (1 μs for each system) for MT patches as well as a short segment of a closed MT in both GTP- and GDP-bound states. Our results confirmed that MTs in the GDP state generally have weaker lateral interactions between neighboring protofilaments (PFs) and less cooperative outward bending conformational change, where the difference between bending angles of neighboring PFs tends to be larger compared with GTP ones. As a result, when the GDP state tubulin dimer is exposed at the growing MT end, these factors will be more likely to cause the MT to undergo rapid disassembly. We also compared simulation results between the special MT seam region and the remaining material and found that the lateral interactions between MT PFs at the seam region were comparatively much weaker. This finding is consistent with the experimental suggestion that the seam region tends to separate during the disassembly process of an MT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dudu Tong
- Department of Chemistry, Chicago Center for Theoretical Chemistry, James Franck Institute, and Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Gregory A Voth
- Department of Chemistry, Chicago Center for Theoretical Chemistry, James Franck Institute, and Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.
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15
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Caporizzo MA, Chen CY, Bedi K, Margulies KB, Prosser BL. Microtubules Increase Diastolic Stiffness in Failing Human Cardiomyocytes and Myocardium. Circulation 2020; 141:902-915. [PMID: 31941365 PMCID: PMC7078018 DOI: 10.1161/circulationaha.119.043930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Diastolic dysfunction is a prevalent and therapeutically intractable feature of heart failure (HF). Increasing ventricular compliance can improve diastolic performance, but the viscoelastic forces that resist diastolic filling and become elevated in human HF are poorly defined. Having recently identified posttranslationally detyrosinated microtubules as a source of viscoelasticity in cardiomyocytes, we sought to test whether microtubules contribute meaningful viscoelastic resistance to diastolic stretch in human myocardium. METHODS Experiments were conducted in isolated human cardiomyocytes and trabeculae. First, slow and rapid (diastolic) stretch was applied to intact cardiomyocytes from nonfailing and HF hearts and viscoelasticity was characterized after interventions targeting microtubules. Next, intact left ventricular trabeculae from HF patient hearts were incubated with colchicine or vehicle and subject to pre- and posttreatment mechanical testing, which consisted of a staircase protocol and rapid stretches from slack length to increasing strains. RESULTS Viscoelasticity was increased during diastolic stretch of HF cardiomyocytes compared with nonfailing counterparts. Reducing either microtubule density or detyrosination reduced myocyte stiffness, particularly at diastolic strain rates, indicating reduced viscous forces. In myocardial tissue, we found microtubule depolymerization reduced myocardial viscoelasticity, with an effect that decreased with increasing strain. Colchicine reduced viscoelasticity at strains below, but not above, 15%, with a 2-fold reduction in energy dissipation upon microtubule depolymerization. Post hoc subgroup analysis revealed that myocardium from patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction were more fibrotic and elastic than myocardium from patients with HF with preserved ejection fraction, which were relatively more viscous. Colchicine reduced viscoelasticity in both HF with preserved ejection fraction and HF with reduced ejection fraction myocardium. CONCLUSIONS Failing cardiomyocytes exhibit elevated viscosity and reducing microtubule density or detyrosination lowers viscoelastic resistance to diastolic stretch in human myocytes and myocardium. In failing myocardium, microtubules elevate stiffness over the typical working range of strains and strain rates, but exhibited diminishing effects with increasing length, consistent with an increasing contribution of the extracellular matrix or myofilament proteins at larger excursions. These studies indicate that a stabilized microtubule network provides a viscous impediment to diastolic stretch, particularly in HF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew A Caporizzo
- Department of Physiology (M.A.C., C.Y.C., K.B.M., B.L.P.), University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia
- Pennsylvania Muscle Institute (M.A.C., C.Y.C., B.L.P.), University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia
| | - Christina Yingxian Chen
- Department of Physiology (M.A.C., C.Y.C., K.B.M., B.L.P.), University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia
- Pennsylvania Muscle Institute (M.A.C., C.Y.C., B.L.P.), University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia
| | - Ken Bedi
- Department of Medicine (K.B., K.B.M.), University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia
- Cardiovascular Institute (K.B., K.B.M., B.L.P.), University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia
| | - Kenneth B Margulies
- Department of Physiology (M.A.C., C.Y.C., K.B.M., B.L.P.), University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia
- Department of Medicine (K.B., K.B.M.), University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia
- Cardiovascular Institute (K.B., K.B.M., B.L.P.), University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia
| | - Benjamin L Prosser
- Department of Physiology (M.A.C., C.Y.C., K.B.M., B.L.P.), University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia
- Pennsylvania Muscle Institute (M.A.C., C.Y.C., B.L.P.), University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia
- Cardiovascular Institute (K.B., K.B.M., B.L.P.), University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia
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16
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Lee CT, Terentjev EM. Structural effects of cap, crack, and intrinsic curvature on the microtubule catastrophe kinetics. J Chem Phys 2019; 151:135101. [PMID: 31594313 DOI: 10.1063/1.5122304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Microtubules (MTs) experience an effect called "catastrophe," which is the transition from the MT growth to a sudden dramatic shrinkage in length. The straight guanosine triphosphate (GTP)-tubulin cap at the filament tip and the intrinsic curvature of guanosine diphosphate (GDP)-tubulins are known to be the key thermodynamic factors that determine MT catastrophe, while the hydrolysis of this GTP-cap acts as the kinetic control of the process. Although several theoretical models have been developed, assuming the catastrophe occurs when the GTP-cap shrinks to a minimal stabilizing size, the structural effect of the GTP-cap and GDP-curvature is not explicitly included; thus, their influence on catastrophe kinetics remains less understood. To investigate this structural effect, we apply a single-protofilament model with one GTP-cap while assuming a random hydrolysis mechanism and take the occurrence of a crack in the lateral bonds between neighboring protofilaments as the onset of the catastrophe. Therein, we find the effective potential of the tip along the peel-off direction and formulate the catastrophe kinetics as a mean first-passage time problem, subject to thermal fluctuations. We consider cases with and without a compressive force on the MT tip, both of which give a quadratic effective potential, making MT catastrophe an Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process in our formalism. In the free-standing case, the mean catastrophe time has a sensitive tubulin-concentration dependence, similar to a double-exponential function, and agrees well with the experiment. For a compressed MT, we find a modified exponential function of force that shortens the catastrophe time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng-Tai Lee
- Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, J. J. Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, United Kingdom
| | - Eugene M Terentjev
- Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, J. J. Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, United Kingdom
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17
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Strothman C, Farmer V, Arpağ G, Rodgers N, Podolski M, Norris S, Ohi R, Zanic M. Microtubule minus-end stability is dictated by the tubulin off-rate. J Cell Biol 2019; 218:2841-2853. [PMID: 31420452 PMCID: PMC6719460 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.201905019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2019] [Revised: 07/11/2019] [Accepted: 07/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Dynamic organization of microtubule minus ends is vital for the formation and maintenance of acentrosomal microtubule arrays. In vitro, both microtubule ends switch between phases of assembly and disassembly, a behavior called dynamic instability. Although minus ends grow slower, their lifetimes are similar to those of plus ends. The mechanisms underlying these distinct dynamics remain unknown. Here, we use an in vitro reconstitution approach to investigate minus-end dynamics. We find that minus-end lifetimes are not defined by the mean size of the protective GTP-tubulin cap. Rather, we conclude that the distinct tubulin off-rate is the primary determinant of the difference between plus- and minus-end dynamics. Further, our results show that the minus-end-directed kinesin-14 HSET/KIFC1 suppresses tubulin off-rate to specifically suppress minus-end catastrophe. HSET maintains its protective minus-end activity even when challenged by a known microtubule depolymerase, kinesin-13 MCAK. Our results provide novel insight into the mechanisms of minus-end dynamics, essential for our understanding of microtubule minus-end regulation in cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Strothman
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
| | - Veronica Farmer
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
| | - Göker Arpağ
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
| | - Nicole Rodgers
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
| | - Marija Podolski
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
| | - Stephen Norris
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
| | - Ryoma Ohi
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI
| | - Marija Zanic
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
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18
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Hemmat M, Castle BT, Sachs JN, Odde DJ. Multiscale Computational Modeling of Tubulin-Tubulin Lateral Interaction. Biophys J 2019; 117:1234-1249. [PMID: 31493861 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2019.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2019] [Revised: 07/26/2019] [Accepted: 08/13/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Microtubules are multistranded polymers in eukaryotic cells that support key cellular functions such as chromosome segregation, motor-based cargo transport, and maintenance of cell polarity. Microtubules self-assemble via "dynamic instability," in which the dynamic plus ends switch stochastically between alternating phases of polymerization and depolymerization. A key question in the field is what are the atomistic origins of this switching, i.e., what is different between the GTP- and GDP-tubulin states that enables microtubule growth and shortening, respectively? More generally, a major challenge in biology is how to connect theoretical frameworks across length- and timescales, from atoms to cellular behavior. In this study, we describe a multiscale model by linking atomistic molecular dynamics (MD), molecular Brownian dynamics (BD), and cellular-level thermokinetic modeling of microtubules. Here, we investigated the underlying interaction energy when tubulin dimers associate laterally by performing all-atom MD simulations. We found that the lateral potential energy is not significantly different among three nucleotide states of tubulin, GTP, GDP, and GMPCPP and is estimated to be ≅ -11 kBT. Furthermore, using MD potential energy in our BD simulations of tubulin dimers confirms that the lateral bond is weak on its own, with a mean lifetime of ∼0.1 μs, implying that the longitudinal bond is required for microtubule assembly. We conclude that nucleotide-dependent lateral-bond strength is not the key mediator microtubule dynamic instability, implying that GTP acts elsewhere to exert its stabilizing influence on microtubule polymer. Furthermore, the estimated lateral-bond strength (ΔGlat0≅ -5 kBT) is well-aligned with earlier estimates based on thermokinetic modeling and light microscopy measurements. Thus, we have computationally connected atomistic-level structural information, obtained by cryo-electron microscopy, to cellular-scale microtubule assembly dynamics using a combination of MD, BD, and thermokinetic models to bridge from Ångstroms to micrometers and from femtoseconds to minutes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahya Hemmat
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | - Brian T Castle
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | - Jonathan N Sachs
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | - David J Odde
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
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Spastin is a dual-function enzyme that severs microtubules and promotes their regrowth to increase the number and mass of microtubules. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:5533-5541. [PMID: 30837315 PMCID: PMC6431158 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1818824116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The remodeling of the microtubule cytoskeleton underlies dynamic cellular processes, such as mitosis, ciliogenesis, and neuronal morphogenesis. An important class of microtubule remodelers comprises the severases-spastin, katanin, and fidgetin-which cut microtubules into shorter fragments. While severing activity might be expected to break down the microtubule cytoskeleton, inhibiting these enzymes in vivo actually decreases, rather increases, the number of microtubules, suggesting that severases have a nucleation-like activity. To resolve this paradox, we reconstituted Drosophila spastin in a dynamic microtubule assay and discovered that it is a dual-function enzyme. In addition to its ATP-dependent severing activity, spastin is an ATP-independent regulator of microtubule dynamics that slows shrinkage and increases rescue. We observed that spastin accumulates at shrinking ends; this increase in spastin concentration may underlie the increase in rescue frequency and the slowdown in shortening. The changes in microtubule dynamics promote microtubule regrowth so that severed microtubule fragments grow, leading to an increase in the number and mass of microtubules. A mathematical model shows that spastin's effect on microtubule dynamics is essential for this nucleation-like activity: spastin switches microtubules into a state where the net flux of tubulin onto each polymer is positive, leading to the observed exponential increase in microtubule mass. This increase in the microtubule mass accounts for spastin's in vivo phenotypes.
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20
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van Haren J, Wittmann T. Microtubule Plus End Dynamics - Do We Know How Microtubules Grow?: Cells boost microtubule growth by promoting distinct structural transitions at growing microtubule ends. Bioessays 2019; 41:e1800194. [PMID: 30730055 PMCID: PMC7021488 DOI: 10.1002/bies.201800194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2018] [Revised: 12/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Microtubules form a highly dynamic filament network in all eukaryotic cells. Individual microtubules grow by tubulin dimer subunit addition and frequently switch between phases of growth and shortening. These unique dynamics are powered by GTP hydrolysis and drive microtubule network remodeling, which is central to eukaryotic cell biology and morphogenesis. Yet, our knowledge of the molecular events at growing microtubule ends remains incomplete. Here, recent ultrastructural, biochemical and cell biological data are integrated to develop a realistic model of growing microtubule ends comprised of structurally distinct but biochemically overlapping zones. Proteins that recognize microtubule lattice conformations associated with specific tubulin guanosine nucleotide states may independently control major structural transitions at growing microtubule ends. A model is proposed in which tubulin dimer addition and subsequent closure of the MT wall are optimized in cells to achieve rapid physiological microtubule growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey van Haren
- Department of Cell and Tissue Biology, University of California San Francisco, 513 Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - Torsten Wittmann
- Department of Cell and Tissue Biology, University of California San Francisco, 513 Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
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21
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Lawrence EJ, Zanic M. Rescuing microtubules from the brink of catastrophe: CLASPs lead the way. Curr Opin Cell Biol 2019; 56:94-101. [PMID: 30453184 PMCID: PMC6370552 DOI: 10.1016/j.ceb.2018.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2018] [Revised: 10/12/2018] [Accepted: 10/31/2018] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Microtubules are cytoskeletal polymers that dynamically remodel to perform essential cellular functions. Individual microtubules alternate between phases of growth and shrinkage via sudden transitions called catastrophe and rescue, driven by losing and regaining a stabilizing cap at the dynamic microtubule end. New in vitro studies now show that a conserved family of CLASP proteins specifically modulate microtubule catastrophe and rescue transitions. Further, recent cryo-electron microscopy approaches have elucidated new structural features of the stabilizing cap. Together, these new advances provide a clearer view on the complexity of the microtubule end and its regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- E J Lawrence
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37240, United States
| | - M Zanic
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37240, United States; Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37240, United States; Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37240, United States.
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22
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Shrestha S, Hazelbaker M, Yount AL, Walczak CE. Emerging Insights into the Function of Kinesin-8 Proteins in Microtubule Length Regulation. Biomolecules 2018; 9:biom9010001. [PMID: 30577528 PMCID: PMC6359247 DOI: 10.3390/biom9010001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2018] [Revised: 12/15/2018] [Accepted: 12/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Proper regulation of microtubules (MTs) is critical for the execution of diverse cellular processes, including mitotic spindle assembly and chromosome segregation. There are a multitude of cellular factors that regulate the dynamicity of MTs and play critical roles in mitosis. Members of the Kinesin-8 family of motor proteins act as MT-destabilizing factors to control MT length in a spatially and temporally regulated manner. In this review, we focus on recent advances in our understanding of the structure and function of the Kinesin-8 motor domain, and the emerging contributions of the C-terminal tail of Kinesin-8 proteins to regulate motor activity and localization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanjay Shrestha
- Medical Sciences Program, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA.
| | - Mark Hazelbaker
- Medical Sciences Program, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA.
| | - Amber L Yount
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA.
| | - Claire E Walczak
- Medical Sciences Program, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA.
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23
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Abstract
We report three high-resolution structures of microtubules in different nucleotide states—GMPCPP, GDP, and GTPγS—in the absence of any binding proteins, allowing us to separate the effects of nucleotide- and microtubule (MT)-associated protein (MAPs) binding on MT structure. End-binding (EB) proteins can bind and induce partial lattice compaction of a preformed GMPCPP-bound MT, a lattice type that is far from EBs’ ideal binding platform. We propose a model in which the MT lattice serves as a platform that integrates internal tubulin signals, such as nucleotide state, with outside signals, such as binding of MAPs. These global lattice rearrangements in turn affect the affinity of other MT partners and result in the exquisite regulation of the MT dynamics. Microtubules (MTs) are polymers assembled from αβ-tubulin heterodimers that display the hallmark behavior of dynamic instability. MT dynamics are driven by GTP hydrolysis within the MT lattice, and are highly regulated by a number of MT-associated proteins (MAPs). How MAPs affect MTs is still not fully understood, partly due to a lack of high-resolution structural data on undecorated MTs, which need to serve as a baseline for further comparisons. Here we report three structures of MTs in different nucleotide states (GMPCPP, GDP, and GTPγS) at near-atomic resolution and in the absence of any binding proteins. These structures allowed us to differentiate the effects of nucleotide state versus MAP binding on MT structure. Kinesin binding has a small effect on the extended, GMPCPP-bound lattice, but hardly affects the compacted GDP-MT lattice, while binding of end-binding (EB) proteins can induce lattice compaction (together with lattice twist) in MTs that were initially in an extended and more stable state. We propose a MT lattice-centric model in which the MT lattice serves as a platform that integrates internal tubulin signals, such as nucleotide state, with outside signals, such as binding of MAPs or mechanical forces, resulting in global lattice rearrangements that in turn affect the affinity of other MT partners and result in the exquisite regulation of MT dynamics.
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24
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Hemmat M, Castle BT, Odde DJ. Microtubule dynamics: moving toward a multi-scale approach. Curr Opin Cell Biol 2018; 50:8-13. [PMID: 29351860 PMCID: PMC5911414 DOI: 10.1016/j.ceb.2017.12.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2017] [Revised: 12/12/2017] [Accepted: 12/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Microtubule self-assembly dynamics serve to facilitate many vital cellular functions, such as chromosome segregation during mitosis and synaptic plasticity. However, the detailed atomistic basis of assembly dynamics has remained an unresolved puzzle. A key challenge is connecting together the vast range of relevant length-time scales, events happening at time scales ranging from nanoseconds, such as tubulin molecular interactions (Å-nm), to minutes-hours, such as the cellular response to microtubule dynamics during mitotic progression (μm). At the same time, microtubule interactions with associated proteins and binding agents, such as anti-cancer drugs, can strongly affect this dynamic process through atomic-level mechanisms that remain to be elucidated. New high-resolution technologies for investigating these interactions, including cryo-electron microscopy (EM) techniques and total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy, are yielding important new insights. Here, we focus on recent studies of microtubule dynamics, both theoretical and experimental, and how these findings shed new light on this complex phenomenon across length-time scales, from Å to μm and from nanoseconds to minutes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahya Hemmat
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Brian T Castle
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - David J Odde
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
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25
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Abstract
The proper regulation of microtubule lengths is fundamental to their cellular function. New work now reports that the collision of a growing microtubule end with another object, such as a microtubule, can contribute to the regulation of microtubule lengths by leaving behind damage that ultimately acts to stabilize the microtubule network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa K Gardner
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology, and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
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26
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Librelotto CS, Simon D, de Souza AP, Álvares-da-Silva MR, Dihl RR. Chromosomal instability and cytotoxicity induced by ribavirin: comparative analysis in cell lines with different drug-metabolizing profiles. Drug Chem Toxicol 2017; 42:343-348. [PMID: 29199475 DOI: 10.1080/01480545.2017.1405970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Ribavirin is an important component of the treatment for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and, in combination with the new direct-acting antiviral (DAA) agents, comprises the major current therapeutic regimens. This study evaluated the cytotoxicity and chromosomal instability induced by ribavirin using the in vitro cytokinesis-block micronucleus cytome (CBMN-Cyt) assay in two cell lines with different expression levels of drug-metabolizing enzymes: human hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HepG2) and Chinese hamster ovary (CHO-K1) cells. HepG2 cells were treated with nine concentrations (from 15.3 μg/ml to 3.9 mg/ml) and CHO-K1 cells were exposed to eight concentrations (from 15.3 μg/ml to 1.9 mg/ml) of ribavirin for 24 h. Ribavirin inhibited cell proliferation in both cell lines, but at different concentrations: 3.9 mg/ml in HepG2 and 244.2 μg/ml in CHO-K1 cells. No significant differences were observed regarding aspects of cell death in HepG2 and CHO-K1 cells, reflecting the absence of cytotoxic effects associated to ribavirin. Ribavirin did not increase the frequency of nucleoplasmic bridges (NPBs) and nuclear bud (NBUD). However, when compared to the negative control, a significant increase in micronuclei (MNi) frequency was observed in both cell lines. However, chromosomal instability was induced by higher concentrations of ribavirin in HepG2 cells (from 61.1 to 976.8 μg/ml), compared with CHO-K1 cells (15.3 and 30.5 μg/ml). These results demonstrate the potential of ribavirin to promote chromosomal instability, and suggest that cells with different expressions of drug-metabolizing enzymes show different susceptibility to ribavirin effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carina Sperotto Librelotto
- a Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Celular e Molecular Aplicada à Saúde, Universidade Luterana do Brasil (ULBRA) , Canoas , Brazil
| | - Daniel Simon
- a Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Celular e Molecular Aplicada à Saúde, Universidade Luterana do Brasil (ULBRA) , Canoas , Brazil
| | - Ana Paula de Souza
- a Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Celular e Molecular Aplicada à Saúde, Universidade Luterana do Brasil (ULBRA) , Canoas , Brazil
| | - Mário Reis Álvares-da-Silva
- b Serviço de Gastroenterologia, Departamento de Medicina Interna , Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) , Porto Alegre , Brazil
| | - Rafael Rodrigues Dihl
- a Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Celular e Molecular Aplicada à Saúde, Universidade Luterana do Brasil (ULBRA) , Canoas , Brazil
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27
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Mustyatsa VV, Boyakhchyan AV, Ataullakhanov FI, Gudimchuk NB. EB-family proteins: Functions and microtubule interaction mechanisms. BIOCHEMISTRY (MOSCOW) 2017; 82:791-802. [DOI: 10.1134/s0006297917070045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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28
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Aparna JS, Padinhateeri R, Das D. Signatures of a macroscopic switching transition for a dynamic microtubule. Sci Rep 2017; 7:45747. [PMID: 28374844 PMCID: PMC5379563 DOI: 10.1038/srep45747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2016] [Accepted: 03/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Characterising complex kinetics of non-equilibrium self-assembly of bio-filaments is of general interest. Dynamic instability in microtubules, consisting of successive catastrophes and rescues, is observed to occur as a result of the non-equilibrium conversion of GTP-tubulin to GDP-tubulin. We study this phenomenon using a model for microtubule kinetics with GTP/GDP state-dependent polymerisation, depolymerisation and hydrolysis of subunits. Our results reveal a sharp switch-like transition in the mean velocity of the filaments, from a growth phase to a shrinkage phase, with an associated co-existence of the two phases. This transition is reminiscent of the discontinuous phase transition across the liquid-gas boundary. We probe the extent of discontinuity in the transition quantitatively using characteristic signatures such as bimodality in velocity distribution, variance and Binder cumulant, and also hysteresis behaviour of the system. We further investigate ageing behaviour in catastrophes of the filament, and find that the multi-step nature of catastrophes is intensified in the vicinity of the switching transition. This assumes importance in the context of Microtubule Associated Proteins which have the potential of altering kinetic parameter values.
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Affiliation(s)
- J S Aparna
- Centre for Research in Nanotechnology and Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, India
| | - Ranjith Padinhateeri
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, India
| | - Dibyendu Das
- Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, India
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29
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Bailey ME, Jiang N, Dima RI, Ross JL. Invited review: Microtubule severing enzymes couple atpase activity with tubulin GTPase spring loading. Biopolymers 2017; 105:547-56. [PMID: 27037673 DOI: 10.1002/bip.22842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2016] [Revised: 03/23/2016] [Accepted: 03/28/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Microtubules are amazing filaments made of GTPase enzymes that store energy used for their own self-destruction to cause a stochastically driven dynamics called dynamic instability. Dynamic instability can be reproduced in vitro with purified tubulin, but the dynamics do not mimic that observed in cells. This is because stabilizers and destabilizers act to alter microtubule dynamics. One interesting and understudied class of destabilizers consists of the microtubule-severing enzymes from the ATPases Associated with various cellular Activities (AAA+) family of ATP-enzymes. Here we review current knowledge about GTP-driven microtubule dynamics and how that couples to ATP-driven destabilization by severing enzymes. We present a list of challenges regarding the mechanism of severing, which require development of experimental and modeling approaches to shed light as to how severing enzymes can act to regulate microtubule dynamics in cells. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 105: 547-556, 2016.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan E Bailey
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, 1705 NE Pacific St., Seattle, WA 98195
| | - Nan Jiang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati OH 45221
| | - Ruxandra I Dima
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati OH 45221
| | - Jennifer L Ross
- Department of Physics, 666 N. Pleasant St. University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003
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30
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Braun A, Caesar NM, Dang K, Myers KA. High-resolution Time-lapse Imaging and Automated Analysis of Microtubule Dynamics in Living Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells. J Vis Exp 2016. [PMID: 27584860 PMCID: PMC5091855 DOI: 10.3791/54265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The physiological process by which new vasculature forms from existing vasculature requires specific signaling events that trigger morphological changes within individual endothelial cells (ECs). These processes are critical for homeostatic maintenance such as wound healing, and are also crucial in promoting tumor growth and metastasis. EC morphology is defined by the organization of the cytoskeleton, a tightly regulated system of actin and microtubule (MT) dynamics that is known to control EC branching, polarity and directional migration, essential components of angiogenesis. To study MT dynamics, we used high-resolution fluorescence microscopy coupled with computational image analysis of fluorescently-labeled MT plus-ends to investigate MT growth dynamics and the regulation of EC branching morphology and directional migration. Time-lapse imaging of living Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells (HUVECs) was performed following transfection with fluorescently-labeled MT End Binding protein 3 (EB3) and Mitotic Centromere Associated Kinesin (MCAK)-specific cDNA constructs to evaluate effects on MT dynamics. PlusTipTracker software was used to track EB3-labeled MT plus ends in order to measure MT growth speeds and MT growth lifetimes in time-lapse images. This methodology allows for the study of MT dynamics and the identification of how localized regulation of MT dynamics within sub-cellular regions contributes to the angiogenic processes of EC branching and migration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Braun
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of the Sciences in Philadelphia
| | - Nicole M Caesar
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of the Sciences in Philadelphia
| | - Kyvan Dang
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of the Sciences in Philadelphia
| | - Kenneth A Myers
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of the Sciences in Philadelphia;
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31
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Duellberg C, Cade NI, Holmes D, Surrey T. The size of the EB cap determines instantaneous microtubule stability. eLife 2016; 5. [PMID: 27050486 PMCID: PMC4829430 DOI: 10.7554/elife.13470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2015] [Accepted: 02/23/2016] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The function of microtubules relies on their ability to switch between phases of growth and shrinkage. A nucleotide-dependent stabilising cap at microtubule ends is thought to be lost before this switch can occur; however, the nature and size of this protective cap are unknown. Using a microfluidics-assisted multi-colour TIRF microscopy assay with close-to-nm and sub-second precision, we measured the sizes of the stabilizing cap of individual microtubules. We find that the protective caps are formed by the extended binding regions of EB proteins. Cap lengths vary considerably and longer caps are more stable. Nevertheless, the trigger of instability lies in a short region at the end of the cap, as a quantitative model of cap stability demonstrates. Our study establishes the spatial and kinetic characteristics of the protective cap and provides an insight into the molecular mechanism by which its loss leads to the switch from microtubule growth to shrinkage. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.13470.001 Much like the skeleton supports the human body, a structure called the cytoskeleton provides support and structure to cells. Part of this cytoskeleton is made up of small tubes called microtubules that – unlike bones – can shrink and grow very quickly. This allows the cell to change shape, move and split into two new cells. Exactly how the microtubules switch between growing and shrinking was not clear. One suggestion is that a protective cap at the end of microtubule allows it to keep growing and prevents it from shrinking. However, the nature and size of this cap have been debated. Now, Duellberg et al. have measured the caps of microtubules with high precision by combining the techniques of microfluidics, TIRF microscopy and recently developed image analysis tools. This revealed that the cap sizes change, with longer caps being more stable. In addition, proteins called end-binding proteins can destabilize the cap by binding to it. This allows microtubules to switch from a growing to a shrinking state more often. Future work could now investigate how changes in cap length cause the microtubules to switch from growing to shrinking. It also remains to be seen whether other proteins also influence the cap to control this switching behaviour. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.13470.002
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Duellberg
- Lincoln's Inn Fields Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Nicholas I Cade
- Lincoln's Inn Fields Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - David Holmes
- London Centre of Nanotechnology, London, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas Surrey
- Lincoln's Inn Fields Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
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Ti SC, Pamula MC, Howes SC, Duellberg C, Cade NI, Kleiner RE, Forth S, Surrey T, Nogales E, Kapoor TM. Mutations in Human Tubulin Proximal to the Kinesin-Binding Site Alter Dynamic Instability at Microtubule Plus- and Minus-Ends. Dev Cell 2016; 37:72-84. [PMID: 27046833 PMCID: PMC4832424 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2016.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2015] [Revised: 02/12/2016] [Accepted: 03/04/2016] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
The assembly of microtubule-based cellular structures depends on regulated tubulin polymerization and directional transport. Here, we purify and characterize tubulin heterodimers that have human β-tubulin isotype III (TUBB3), as well as heterodimers with one of two β-tubulin mutations (D417H or R262H). Both point mutations are proximal to the kinesin-binding site and have been linked to an ocular motility disorder in humans. Compared to wild-type, microtubules with these mutations have decreased catastrophe frequencies and increased average lifetimes of plus- and minus-end-stabilizing caps. Importantly, the D417H mutation does not alter microtubule lattice structure or Mal3 binding to growing filaments. Instead, this mutation reduces the affinity of tubulin for TOG domains and colchicine, suggesting that the distribution of tubulin heterodimer conformations is changed. Together, our findings reveal how residues on the surface of microtubules, distal from the GTP-hydrolysis site and inter-subunit contacts, can alter polymerization dynamics at the plus- and minus-ends of microtubules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shih-Chieh Ti
- Laboratory of Chemistry and Cell Biology, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Melissa C Pamula
- Laboratory of Chemistry and Cell Biology, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Stuart C Howes
- Biophysics Graduate Group, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Christian Duellberg
- The Francis Crick Institute, Lincoln's Inn Fields Laboratory, 44 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3LY, UK
| | - Nicholas I Cade
- The Francis Crick Institute, Lincoln's Inn Fields Laboratory, 44 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3LY, UK
| | - Ralph E Kleiner
- Laboratory of Chemistry and Cell Biology, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Scott Forth
- Laboratory of Chemistry and Cell Biology, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Thomas Surrey
- The Francis Crick Institute, Lincoln's Inn Fields Laboratory, 44 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3LY, UK
| | - Eva Nogales
- Life Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Tarun M Kapoor
- Laboratory of Chemistry and Cell Biology, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA.
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Katsuki M, Drummond DR, Cross RA. Ectopic A-lattice seams destabilize microtubules. Nat Commun 2015; 5:3094. [PMID: 24463734 PMCID: PMC3921467 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms4094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2013] [Accepted: 12/12/2013] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Natural microtubules typically include one A-lattice seam within an otherwise helically symmetric B-lattice tube. It is currently unclear how A-lattice seams influence microtubule dynamic instability. Here we find that including extra A-lattice seams in GMPCPP microtubules, structural analogues of the GTP caps of dynamic microtubules, destabilizes them, enhancing their median shrinkage rate by >20-fold. Dynamic microtubules nucleated by seeds containing extra A-lattice seams have growth rates similar to microtubules nucleated by B-lattice seeds, yet have increased catastrophe frequencies at both ends. Furthermore, binding B-lattice GDP microtubules to a rigor kinesin surface stabilizes them against shrinkage, whereas microtubules with extra A-lattice seams are stabilized only slightly. Our data suggest that introducing extra A-lattice seams into dynamic microtubules destabilizes them by destabilizing their GTP caps. On this basis, we propose that the single A-lattice seam of natural B-lattice MTs may act as a trigger point, and potentially a regulation point, for catastrophe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miho Katsuki
- 1] Division of Biomedical Cell Biology, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK [2]
| | - Douglas R Drummond
- Division of Biomedical Cell Biology, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
| | - Robert A Cross
- Division of Biomedical Cell Biology, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
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Low-dose ribavirin treatments attenuate neuroinflammatory activation of BV-2 Cells by interfering with inducible nitric oxide synthase. Anal Cell Pathol (Amst) 2015; 2015:923614. [PMID: 26413464 PMCID: PMC4564589 DOI: 10.1155/2015/923614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2015] [Accepted: 08/20/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Microglia play a key role in defending central nervous system from various internal and external threats. However, their excessive and/or chronic activation is associated with deleterious effects in a variety of neurodegenerative diseases. Previously, we have shown that ribavirin when applied in clinically relevant dosage (10 μM) modulates activated microglia in complex fashion inducing both anti- and proinflammatory effects, simultaneously causing cytotoxicity. Here, we examined potential of low-dose ribavirin (0.1 and 1 μM) to modulate activated BV-2 microglia. Morphological and functional activation of BV-2 cells was achieved with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation. Our results demonstrated that low-dose ribavirin did not induce cell death, while 10 μM ribavirin promoted LPS induced apoptosis. We determined that 1 μM ribavirin was equally efficient in deactivation of LPS induced morphological changes as 10 μM ribavirin treatment. Ribavirin showed halfway success in reducing markers of functional activation of microglia. Namely, none of the doses had effect on LPS triggered production of proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor alpha. On the other hand, low-dose ribavirin proved its effectiveness in reduction of another inflammatory mediator, nitric oxide, by inhibiting inducible form of nitric oxide synthase. Our results imply that low-dose ribavirin may alleviate nitrosative stress during neuroinflammation.
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35
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Savic D, Stojiljkovic M, Lavrnja I, Parabucki A, Bjelobaba I, Nedeljkovic N, Herdegen T, Pekovic S. Ribavirin shows immunomodulatory effects on activated microglia. Immunopharmacol Immunotoxicol 2014; 36:433-41. [DOI: 10.3109/08923973.2014.971962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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36
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Ferreira JG, Pereira AL, Maiato H. Microtubule plus-end tracking proteins and their roles in cell division. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2014; 309:59-140. [PMID: 24529722 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-800255-1.00002-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Microtubules are cellular components that are required for a variety of essential processes such as cell motility, mitosis, and intracellular transport. This is possible because of the inherent dynamic properties of microtubules. Many of these properties are tightly regulated by a number of microtubule plus-end-binding proteins or +TIPs. These proteins recognize the distal end of microtubules and are thus in the right context to control microtubule dynamics. In this review, we address how microtubule dynamics are regulated by different +TIP families, focusing on how functionally diverse +TIPs spatially and temporally regulate microtubule dynamics during animal cell division.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge G Ferreira
- Chromosome Instability & Dynamics Laboratory, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal; Cell Division Unit, Department of Experimental Biology, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Ana L Pereira
- Chromosome Instability & Dynamics Laboratory, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Helder Maiato
- Chromosome Instability & Dynamics Laboratory, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal; Cell Division Unit, Department of Experimental Biology, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
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37
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Abstract
We introduce a model for microtubule (MT) mechanics containing lateral bonds between dimers in neighboring protofilaments, bending rigidity of dimers, and repulsive interactions between protofilaments modeling steric constraints to investigate the influence of mechanical forces on hydrolysis and catastrophes. We use the allosteric dimer model, where tubulin dimers are characterized by an equilibrium bending angle, which changes from 0° to 22° by hydrolysis of a dimer. This also affects the lateral interaction and bending energies and, thus, the mechanical equilibrium state of the MT. As hydrolysis gives rise to conformational changes in dimers, mechanical forces also influence the hydrolysis rates by mechanical energy changes modulating the hydrolysis rate. The interaction via the MT mechanics then gives rise to correlation effects in the hydrolysis dynamics, which have not been taken into account before. Assuming a dominant influence of mechanical energies on hydrolysis rates, we investigate the most probable hydrolysis pathways both for vectorial and random hydrolysis. Investigating the stability with respect to lateral bond rupture, we identify initiation configurations for catastrophes along the hydrolysis pathways and values for a lateral bond rupture force. If we allow for rupturing of lateral bonds between dimers in neighboring protofilaments above this threshold force, our model exhibits avalanche-like catastrophe events.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Müller
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
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38
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Imaging GTP-bound tubulin: from cellular to in vitro assembled microtubules. Methods Cell Biol 2014. [PMID: 23973071 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-407757-7.00010-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register]
Abstract
Microtubules display a very dynamic behavior, and the presence of the guanosine-triphosphate (GTP) cap at the plus ends of microtubules is essential to regulate microtubule dynamics. Dimitrov et al. (2008) showed that GTP-tubulin is present not only at the plus ends but also in discrete locations along the microtubule lattice. These GTP islands were proposed to contribute to rescue events. Studying the localization of GTP-tubulin in microtubules is essential to better comprehend some core aspects in the regulation of microtubule dynamics. In this chapter, we recapitulate essential tools to study the GTP-tubulin using the recombinant antibody MB11 from permeabilized cells to in vitro assays.
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39
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Li C, Li J, Goodson HV, Alber MS. Microtubule dynamic instability: the role of cracks between protofilaments. SOFT MATTER 2014; 10:2069-2080. [PMID: 24652487 DOI: 10.1039/c3sm52892h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Microtubules (MTs) are cytoplasmic protein polymers that are essential for fundamental cellular processes including the maintenance of cell shape, organelle transport and formation of the mitotic spindle. Microtubule dynamic instability is critical for these processes, but it remains poorly understood, in part because the relationship between the structure of the MT tip and the growth/depolymerization transitions is enigmatic. In previous work, we used computational models of dynamic instability to provide evidence that cracks (laterally unbonded regions) between protofilaments play a key role in the regulation of dynamic instability. Here we use computational models to investigate the connection between cracks and dynamic instability in more detail. Our work indicates that while cracks contribute to dynamic instability in a fundamental way, it is not the depth of the cracks per se that governs MT dynamic instability. Instead, what matters more is whether the cracks terminate in GTP-rich or GDP-rich regions of the MT. Based on these observations, we suggest that a functional "GTP cap" (i.e., one capable of promoting MT growth) is one where the cracks terminate in pairs of GTP-bound subunits, and that the likelihood of catastrophe rises significantly with the fraction of crack-terminating subunits that contain GDP. In addition to helping clarify the mechanism of dynamic instability, this idea could also explain how MT stabilizers work: proteins that introduce lateral cross-links between protofilaments would produce islands of GDP-bound tubulin that mimic GTP-rich regions in having strong lateral bonds, thus reducing crack propagation, suppressing catastrophe and promoting rescue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunlei Li
- Department of Applied & Computational Mathematics and Statistics, University of Notre Dame, IN, USA.
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40
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Horio T, Murata T. The role of dynamic instability in microtubule organization. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2014; 5:511. [PMID: 25339962 PMCID: PMC4188131 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2014.00511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2014] [Accepted: 09/12/2014] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Microtubules are one of the three major cytoskeletal components in eukaryotic cells. Heterodimers composed of GTP-bound α- and β-tubulin molecules polymerize to form microtubule protofilaments, which associate laterally to form a hollow microtubule. Tubulin has GTPase activity and the GTP molecules associated with β-tubulin molecules are hydrolyzed shortly after being incorporated into the polymerizing microtubules. GTP hydrolysis alters the conformation of the tubulin molecules and drives the dynamic behavior of microtubules. Periods of rapid microtubule polymerization alternate with periods of shrinkage in a process known as dynamic instability. In plants, dynamic instability plays a key role in determining the organization of microtubules into arrays, and these arrays vary throughout the cell cycle. In this review, we describe the mechanisms that regulate microtubule dynamics and underlie dynamic instability, and discuss how dynamic instability may shape microtubule organization in plant cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tetsuya Horio
- Department of Natural Sciences, Nippon Sport Science UniversityYokohama, Japan
| | - Takashi Murata
- Division of Evolutionary Biology, National Institute for Basic BiologyOkazaki, Japan
- Department of Basic Biology, School of Life Sciences, The Graduate University for Advanced StudiesOkazaki, Japan
- *Correspondence: Takashi Murata, Division of Evolutionary Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8585, Japan e-mail:
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41
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Abstract
The post-genomic era has produced a variety of new investigation technologies, techniques and approaches that may offer exciting insights into many long-standing questions of scientific research. The microtubule cytoskeleton is a highly conserved system that shows a high degree of internal complexity, is known to be integral to many cell systems and functions on a fundamental level. After decades of study, much is still unknown about microtubules in vivo from the control of dynamics in living cells to their responses to environmental changes and responses to other cellular processes. In the present article, we examine some outstanding questions in the microtubule field and propose a combination of emerging interdisciplinary approaches, i.e. high-throughput functional genomics techniques, quantitative and super-resolution microscopy, and in silico modelling, that could shed light on the systemic regulation of microtubules in cells by networks of regulatory factors. We propose that such an integrative approach is key to elucidate the function of the microtubule cytoskeleton as a complete responsive integral biological system.
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42
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Abstract
The microtubule (MT) cytoskeleton supports a broad range of cellular functions, from providing tracks for intracellular transport, to supporting movement of cilia and flagella, to segregating chromosomes in mitosis. These functions are facilitated by the organizational and dynamic plasticity of MT networks. An important class of enzymes that alters MT dynamics is the depolymerizing kinesin-like proteins, which use their catalytic activities to regulate MT end dynamics. In this review, we discuss four topics surrounding these MT-depolymerizing kinesins. We provide a historical overview of studies focused on these motors and discuss their phylogeny. In the second half, we discuss their enzymology and biophysics and give an overview of their known cellular functions. This discussion highlights the fact that MT-depolymerizing kinesins exhibit a diverse range of design principles, which in turn increases their functional versatility in cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire E Walczak
- Medical Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405;
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43
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Coombes CE, Yamamoto A, Kenzie MR, Odde DJ, Gardner MK. Evolving tip structures can explain age-dependent microtubule catastrophe. Curr Biol 2013; 23:1342-8. [PMID: 23831290 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2013.05.059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2012] [Revised: 05/22/2013] [Accepted: 05/30/2013] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Microtubules are key structural and transport elements in cells. The dynamics at microtubule ends are characterized by periods of slow growth, followed by stochastic switching events termed "catastrophes," in which microtubules suddenly undergo rapid shortening. Growing microtubules are thought to be protected from catastrophe by a GTP-tubulin "cap": GTP-tubulin subunits add to the tips of growing microtubules but are subsequently hydrolyzed to GDP-tubulin subunits once they are incorporated into the microtubule lattice. Loss of the GTP-tubulin cap exposes GDP-tubulin subunits at the microtubule tip, resulting in a catastrophe event. However, the mechanistic basis for sudden loss of the GTP cap, leading to catastrophe, is not known. To investigate microtubule catastrophe events, we performed 3D mechanochemical simulations that account for interactions between neighboring protofilaments. We found that there are two separate factors that contribute to catastrophe events in the 3D simulation: the GTP-tubulin cap size, which settles into a steady-state value that depends on the free tubulin concentration during microtubule growth, and the structure of the microtubule tip. Importantly, 3D simulations predict, and both fluorescence and electron microscopy experiments confirm, that microtubule tips become more tapered as the microtubule grows. This effect destabilizes the tip and ultimately contributes to microtubule catastrophe. Thus, the likelihood of a catastrophe event may be intimately linked to the aging physical structure of the growing microtubule tip. These results have important consequences for catastrophe regulation in cells, as microtubule-associated proteins could promote catastrophe events in part by modifying microtubule tip structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Courtney E Coombes
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
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44
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Quiniou E, Guichard P, Perahia D, Marco S, Mouawad L. An atomistic view of microtubule stabilization by GTP. Structure 2013; 21:833-43. [PMID: 23623730 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2013.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2012] [Revised: 02/08/2013] [Accepted: 03/08/2013] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
A microtubule is a dynamic system formed of αβ-tubulins. The presence of nonhydrolyzable guanosine-5'-triphosphate (GTP)/guanosine diphosphate (GDP) on the β-tubulins provokes microtubule polymerization/depolymerization. Despite the large number of experimental studies of this dynamical process, its mechanism is still unclear. To provide insights into this mechanism we studied the first depolymerization steps of GDP/GTP-bound microtubules by normal-mode analysis with the all-atom model. We also constructed a depolymerizing microtubule and compared it to cryo-electron microscopy tomograms (cyro-ET). The results show that during depolymerization, the protofilaments not only curve but twist to weaken their lateral interactions. These interactions are stabilized by GTP, but not evenly. Not all of the interface residues are of equal importance: five of them, belonging to the H2-S3 loop, play a special role; acting as a lock whose key is the γ-phosphate of GTP. Sequence alignments of several tubulins confirm the importance of these residues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Quiniou
- Institut Curie, Centre de Recherche, U759, Bât. 112, Centre Universitaire, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France
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45
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Bowne-Anderson H, Zanic M, Kauer M, Howard J. Microtubule dynamic instability: a new model with coupled GTP hydrolysis and multistep catastrophe. Bioessays 2013; 35:452-61. [PMID: 23532586 PMCID: PMC3677417 DOI: 10.1002/bies.201200131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
A key question in understanding microtubule dynamics is how GTP hydrolysis leads to catastrophe, the switch from slow growth to rapid shrinkage. We first provide a review of the experimental and modeling literature, and then present a new model of microtubule dynamics. We demonstrate that vectorial, random, and coupled hydrolysis mechanisms are not consistent with the dependence of catastrophe on tubulin concentration and show that, although single-protofilament models can explain many features of dynamics, they do not describe catastrophe as a multistep process. Finally, we present a new combined (coupled plus random hydrolysis) multiple-protofilament model that is a simple, analytically solvable generalization of a single-protofilament model. This model accounts for the observed lifetimes of growing microtubules, the delay to catastrophe following dilution and describes catastrophe as a multistep process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugo Bowne-Anderson
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany
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46
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Grafmüller A, Noya EG, Voth GA. Nucleotide-dependent lateral and longitudinal interactions in microtubules. J Mol Biol 2013; 425:2232-46. [PMID: 23541590 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2013.03.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2012] [Revised: 03/11/2013] [Accepted: 03/16/2013] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Microtubule (MT) stability is related to the hydrolysis of the guanosine triphosphate nucleotide (NT) bound to β-tubulin. However, the molecular mechanism by which the NT state influences the stability of the contacts in the MT lattice remains elusive. Here, we present large-scale atomistic simulations of different tubulin aggregates, including individual dimers, short protofilaments, a small lattice patch, and a piece of the MT lattice with two infinite protofilaments in both NT states. Together with a coarse-grained (CG) analysis of the fluctuations, these simulations highlight several regions of the protein where local changes are induced by the NT state or by the lateral and longitudinal contacts in the aggregates. Additionally, the CG analysis provides an indication of how the structural changes affect the bonds between the proteins. The results suggest a consistent picture of a possible molecular mechanism by which the NT state induces changes in the H1-S2 loop and more stable longitudinal bonds, both of which locate the H1-S2 and M-loop in more favorable positions to form lateral contacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Grafmüller
- Theory and Biosystems, Max Planck Institute for Colloids and Interfaces, 14424 Potsdam, Germany.
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47
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Maurer S, Fourniol F, Bohner G, Moores C, Surrey T. EBs recognize a nucleotide-dependent structural cap at growing microtubule ends. Cell 2012; 149:371-82. [PMID: 22500803 PMCID: PMC3368265 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2012.02.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 281] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2011] [Revised: 12/19/2011] [Accepted: 02/10/2012] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Growing microtubule ends serve as transient binding platforms for essential proteins that regulate microtubule dynamics and their interactions with cellular substructures. End-binding proteins (EBs) autonomously recognize an extended region at growing microtubule ends with unknown structural characteristics and then recruit other factors to the dynamic end structure. Using cryo-electron microscopy, subnanometer single-particle reconstruction, and fluorescence imaging, we present a pseudoatomic model of how the calponin homology (CH) domain of the fission yeast EB Mal3 binds to the end regions of growing microtubules. The Mal3 CH domain bridges protofilaments except at the microtubule seam. By binding close to the exchangeable GTP-binding site, the CH domain is ideally positioned to sense the microtubule's nucleotide state. The same microtubule-end region is also a stabilizing structural cap protecting the microtubule from depolymerization. This insight supports a common structural link between two important biological phenomena, microtubule dynamic instability and end tracking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian P. Maurer
- Cancer Research UK London Research Institute, Lincoln's Inn Fields Laboratories, 44 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3LY, UK
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Cell Biology and Biophysics Unit, Meyerhofstrasse 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Franck J. Fourniol
- Cancer Research UK London Research Institute, Lincoln's Inn Fields Laboratories, 44 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3LY, UK
| | - Gergő Bohner
- Cancer Research UK London Research Institute, Lincoln's Inn Fields Laboratories, 44 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3LY, UK
| | - Carolyn A. Moores
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Birkbeck College, London WC1E 7HX, UK
| | - Thomas Surrey
- Cancer Research UK London Research Institute, Lincoln's Inn Fields Laboratories, 44 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3LY, UK
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Cell Biology and Biophysics Unit, Meyerhofstrasse 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
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48
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Gardner MK, Zanic M, Gell C, Bormuth V, Howard J. Depolymerizing kinesins Kip3 and MCAK shape cellular microtubule architecture by differential control of catastrophe. Cell 2012; 147:1092-103. [PMID: 22118464 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2011.10.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 136] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2011] [Revised: 07/11/2011] [Accepted: 10/26/2011] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Abstract
Microtubules are dynamic filaments whose ends alternate between periods of slow growth and rapid shortening as they explore intracellular space and move organelles. A key question is how regulatory proteins modulate catastrophe, the conversion from growth to shortening. To study this process, we reconstituted microtubule dynamics in the absence and presence of the kinesin-8 Kip3 and the kinesin-13 MCAK. Surprisingly, we found that, even in the absence of the kinesins, the microtubule catastrophe frequency depends on the age of the microtubule, indicating that catastrophe is a multistep process. Kip3 slowed microtubule growth in a length-dependent manner and increased the rate of aging. In contrast, MCAK eliminated the aging process. Thus, both kinesins are catastrophe factors; Kip3 mediates fine control of microtubule length by narrowing the distribution of maximum lengths prior to catastrophe, whereas MCAK promotes rapid restructuring of the microtubule cytoskeleton by making catastrophe a first-order random process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa K Gardner
- Department of Genetics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
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49
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Tropini C, Roth EA, Zanic M, Gardner MK, Howard J. Islands containing slowly hydrolyzable GTP analogs promote microtubule rescues. PLoS One 2012; 7:e30103. [PMID: 22272281 PMCID: PMC3260198 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0030103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2011] [Accepted: 12/13/2011] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Microtubules are dynamic polymers of GTP- and GDP-tubulin that undergo stochastic transitions between growing and shrinking phases. Rescues, the conversion from shrinking to growing, have recently been proposed to be to the result of regrowth at GTP-tubulin islands within the lattice of growing microtubules. By introducing mixed GTP/GDP/GMPCPP (GXP) regions within the lattice of dynamic microtubules, we reconstituted GXP islands in vitro (GMPCPP is the slowly hydrolyzable GTP analog guanosine-5′-[(α,β)-methyleno]triphosphate). We found that such islands could reproducibly induce rescues and that the probability of rescue correlated with both the size of the island and the percentage of GMPCPP-tubulin within the island. The islands slowed the depolymerization rate of shortening microtubules and promoted regrowth more readily than GMPCPP seeds. Together, these findings provide new mechanistic insights supporting the possibility that rescues could be triggered by enriched GTP-tubulin regions and present a new tool for studying such rescue events in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Tropini
- Marine Biological Laboratory Physiology Course, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Biophysics Program, Structural Biology Department, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Elizabeth A. Roth
- Marine Biological Laboratory Physiology Course, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Molecular Biology Interdepartmental Ph.D. Program, University of California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Marija Zanic
- Marine Biological Laboratory Physiology Course, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany
| | - Melissa K. Gardner
- Marine Biological Laboratory Physiology Course, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology, and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Jonathon Howard
- Marine Biological Laboratory Physiology Course, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany
- * E-mail:
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50
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Abstract
Microtubules polymerize from identical tubulin heterodimers, which form a helical lattice pattern that is the microtubule. This pattern always has left-handed chirality, but it is not known why. But as tubulin, similar to other proteins, evolved for a purpose, the question of the title of this artcile appears to be meaningful. In a computer simulation that explores the 'counterfactual biology' of microtubules without helicity, we demonstrate that these have the same mechanical properties as Nature's microtubules with helicity. Thus only a dynamical reason for helicity is left as potential explanation. We find that helicity solves 'the problem of the blind mason', i.e. how to correctly build a structure, guided only by the shape of the bricks. This answer in turn raises some new questions for researchers to address.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viktória Hunyadi
- Department of Physics of Complex Systems, Eötvös University, P.O. Box 32, H-1518 Budapest, Hungary
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