ArticleThe Journal of cell biology2021
GTP-dependent formation of straight tubulin oligomers leads to microtubule nucleation.
Article in The Journal of cell biology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers.
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Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed, 48 citations in OpenAlex.
- β-tubulin phosphorylation by Chk1 is required for normal spindle formation during cell division.Communications biology · 2026Article
- Article
- Mutations in the β-tubulin TUBB impair ciliogenesis and are associated with ciliopathy-like phenotypes.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Modulating the Curvature of Protein Self-Assembled Spiral Nanotubules.ACS applied materials & interfaces · 2025Article
- Hydrolysis-deficient mosaic microtubules as faithful mimics of the GTP cap.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Structural switching of tubulin in the microtubule lattice.Biochemical Society transactions · 2025Review
- Structural insights into the mechanism of GTP initiation of microtubule assembly.Nature communications · 2023Article
- Preference of CAMSAP3 for expanded microtubule lattice contributes to stabilization of the minus end.Life science alliance · 2023Article
- CLASP2 recognizes tubulins exposed at the microtubule plus-end in a nucleotide state-sensitive manner.Science advances · 2023Article
- Structural convergence for tubulin binding of CPAP and vinca domain microtubule inhibitors.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2022Article
- Bending-torsional elasticity and energetics of the plus-end microtubule tip.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2022Article
- Kinesin-14 motors participate in a force balance at microtubule plus-ends to regulate dynamic instability.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2022Article
- In Vitro Reconstitution of Microtubule Dynamics and Severing Imaged by Label-Free Interference-Reflection Microscopy.Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.) · 2022Article
- The molecular biology of tubulinopathies: Understanding the impact of variants on tubulin structure and microtubule regulation.Frontiers in cellular neuroscience · 2022Review
- Microtubules in Microorganisms: How Tubulin Isotypes Contribute to Diverse Cytoskeletal Functions.Frontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2022Review
- Reconstituting Microtubules: A Decades-Long Effort From Building Block Identification to the Generation of Recombinant α/β-Tubulin.Frontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2022Review
- Microtubule-associated proteins promote microtubule generation in the absence of γ-tubulin in human colon cancer cells.The Journal of cell biology · 2021Article
- Regulation of microtubule dynamics, mechanics and function through the growing tip.Nature reviews. Molecular cell biology · 2021Review
- Tubulin binding potentially clears up Bortezomib and Carfilzomib differential neurotoxic effect.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- Straightening up is required to nucleate new microtubules.The Journal of cell biology · 2021Article
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Authors and funding
14 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Nucleation of microtubules (MTs) is essential for cellular activities, but its mechanism is unknown because of the difficulty involved in capturing rare stochastic events in the early stage of polymerization. Here, combining rapid flush negative stain electron microscopy (EM) and kinetic analysis, we demonstrate that the formation of straight oligomers of critical size is essential for nucleation. Both GDP and GTP tubulin form single-stranded oligomers with a broad range of curvatures, but upon nucleation, the curvature distribution of GTP oligomers is shifted to produce a minor population of straight oligomers. With tubulin having the Y222F mutation in the β subunit, the proportion of straight oligomers increases and nucleation accelerates. Our results support a model in which GTP binding generates a minor population of straight oligomers compatible with lateral association and further growth to MTs. This study suggests that cellular factors involved in nucleation promote it via stabilization of straight oligomers.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.