Building the Microtubule Cytoskeleton Piece by Piece

• Published in: The Journal of biological chemistry Vol. 290; no. 28; pp. 17154 - 17162
• Main Authors: Alfaro-Aco, Ray, Petry, Sabine
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 10-07-2015; American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• Subjects: Animals; cell division; cytoskeleton; Cytoskeleton - chemistry; Cytoskeleton - metabolism; Female; Humans; microtubule; microtubule-associated protein (MAP); Microtubule-Associated Proteins - chemistry; Microtubule-Associated Proteins - metabolism; Microtubules - chemistry; Microtubules - metabolism; Minireviews; mitotic spindle; Models, Biological; Molecular Motor Proteins - chemistry; Molecular Motor Proteins - metabolism; Spindle Apparatus - chemistry; Spindle Apparatus - metabolism; Xenopus laevis; microtubule; microtubule-associated protein (MAP); cell division; cytoskeleton; mitotic spindle
• ISSN: 0021-9258; 1083-351X
• DOI: 10.1074/jbc.R115.638452

The microtubule (MT) cytoskeleton gives cells their shape, organizes the cellular interior, and segregates chromosomes. These functions rely on the precise arrangement of MTs, which is achieved by the coordinated action of MT-associated proteins (MAPs). We highlight the first and most important examples of how different MAP activities are combined in vitro to create an ensemble function that exceeds the simple addition of their individual activities, and how the Xenopus laevis egg extract system has been utilized as a powerful intermediate between cellular and purified systems to uncover the design principles of self-organized MT networks in the cell.