First published online November 8, 2006
Journal of Cell Science 119, 2204e (2006)
© The Company of Biologists Limited
MAPless microtubule dynamics
Microtubules – polymers of tubulin – are important components of the cytoskeleton. They constantly cycle between periods of growth and shrinkage; this `dynamic instability' is critical for many of their cellular roles, but what determines this behaviour? On p. 4781, Holly Goodson and colleagues use computer modelling to show that several cellular phenomena previously thought to require complex regulatory machinery are actually predictable outcomes of interactions between a system of dynamic microtubules and the physical environment. For example, the authors show that the persistent growth of microtubules does not require the activity of microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) but is an inevitable consequence of a nucleated system of dynamic microtubules polymerizing in a constrained space in which tubulin is limiting. Overall, the authors' findings provide a foundation for a better understanding of microtubule dynamics. In addition, they reveal how, during evolution, complex cellular behaviours might have arisen from simple interactions without the need for the intricate regulatory machinery, which may have evolved later to modulate them.
Related articles in JCS:
- Insights into cytoskeletal behavior from computational modeling of dynamic microtubules in a cell-like environment
- Ivan V. Gregoretti, Gennady Margolin, Mark S. Alber, and Holly V. Goodson
JCS 2006 119: 4781-4788.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
