Electron tomography reveals a flared morphology on growing microtubule ends

Microtubules (MTs) exhibit dynamic instability, alternating between phases of growth and shortening, mostly at their uncapped plus ends. Based on results from cryo-electron microscopy it was proposed that growing MTs display mainly curved sheets and blunt ends; during depolymerisation curled 'ramshorns' predominate. Observations of MTs in mitotic cells have suggested that the situation in vivo differs from that in vitro, but so far, a clear comparison between in vivo and in vitro results has not been possible because MT end structures could not be correlated directly with the dynamic state of that particular MT. Here we combine light microscopy and electron tomography (ET) to show that growing MT plus ends in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe display predominantly a flared morphology. This indicates that MT polymerisation in vivo and in vitro can follow different paths.

NATURVETENSKAP Biologi Cellbiologi hsv//swe
NATURAL SCIENCES Biological Sciences Cell Biology hsv//eng
Microtubule polymerisation; Plus ends; Electron tomography; Schizosaccharomyces pombe

Huisman, Stephen M (författare)
Sebö-Lemke, Zsofia (författare)
Sandblad, LindaEuropean Mol Biol Labs, Cell Biol & Biophys Program, D-69117 Heidelberg, Germany(Swepub:umu)lisa0088 (författare)
McIntosh, J Richard (författare)
Antony, Claude (författare)
Brunner, Damian (författare)
European Mol Biol Labs, Cell Biol & Biophys Program, D-69117 Heidelberg, Germany (creator_code:org_t)

Ingår i:Journal of Cell Science: The Company of Biologists124:Pt 5, s. 693-6980021-95331477-9137

Av författaren/redakt...: Höög, Johanna L; Huisman, Stephen ...; Sebö-Lemke, Zsof ...; Sandblad, Linda; McIntosh, J Rich ...; Antony, Claude; visa fler...; Brunner, Damian; visa färre...

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