Microtubules
Dr. Sarita Nanda
Biochemistry Department
Daulat Ram College
Characteristics
 They are 25nm in diameter
 They are dynamic structure which continually
undergo assembly and disassembly
 They determine cell shape, cell locomotion, cell
organelle movement, separation of chromosomes
during mitosis.
 They are made up of monomers tubulin.
 The tubulins are alpha and beta. Gamma tubulin is
present in centrosome

Characteristics
 Tubulin dimers polymerize to form microtubule
which is made of 13 linear protofilaments.
 The dimers are arranged in head to tail manner in
parallel fashion.
 They have the fast growing plus end and slow
growing minus end.
 This gives polarity to microtubule.
Characteristic
 They undergo treadmilling in which fast growing end
is adding GTP bound tubulin and minus end is
continuously loosing GDP bound from the minus
end.
 In dynamic instability individual microtubules
shrink between cycles of growth and shrinkage.
 Dynamic instability is described by Tim Mitchison
and Marc Kirschner in 1984.
 Colchicine, colecimid, vincristine, vinblastine , taxol
affect polymerisation and block cell division.
Treadmilling
Assembly of Microtubules
 They extend from centrosome (ist describes Theodor
Boveri in 1888
 During mitosis microtubules form spindle
 Plants don not have organised centrosome
 Centrosome is microtubule organising centre
(MTOC) in which minus end is anchored. It serves
as initiation site for MT assembly.
 The key protein of centrosome is gamma tubulin.
 Gamma tubulin forms a ring complex.
characteristic
 The centrosome of animal cell contains a pair of
centrioles.
 Centrioles are cylindrical structures which contains nine
triplets of microtubules.
 Centrioles are necessary to form basal body, cilia,
flagella.
 The peritubular region initiates microtubular assembly.
 Centrioles have cartwheel like structure.
 Centrioles also include delta tubulin.
 Two centrioles are connected by protein called centrin.
Organisation of Microtubules within Cells
 They interact with microtubule associated
protein(MAPs)
 MAPS stabilise MT by capping their ends
 MAPs can also destabilise MT by severing their ends
 Several MAPs are plus end tracking proteins. The several
identified MAPs are MAP1,2, and TAU
 The neurons have dendrites and axons . The plus end of
axons are away form the body and in dendrites plus and
minus ends are oriented away from the body.
 Axons contain tau proteins and no MAP-2 whereas
dendrites contain MAP2 but no tau protein
Microtubule Assosciated protein
Microtubule
Microtubules motors and Movement
 The two motor protein responsible for motor
movement are kinesin and dyenin
 Kinesin moves towards plus end
 Dynein moves towards negative end.
 Dyenin was isolated by Ian Gibbons in 1965.
 Motor protien was observed by video-enhanced
microscopy.(developed by Robert Allen and shinya
Inoue in 1980. )
 These were observed in squid axons.
Motor Proteins
 Kinesin was identified By Brady, Ronald Vale,
thomas Reese and Michael Sheetz in squid axons and
bovine brains in 1985.
 Kinesin translocates towards plus end and dyenin
translocates towards minus end.
 Kinesin I is a molecule of 380KD consisting of two
heavy chains of 120 kD and two light chains of 64kd
each.
 It is similar to myosin which also moves towards
postive end and has molecular weight of 500kd.
Motor proteins
 Cytoplasmic dynein is extremely large protein of 2000kd.
It consists of two heavy chains of 500kd and variable
number of light and inermediate chains
 The molecule has head and a tail portion.
 The head binds to ATP and moves on MT
The tail binds the organellles which have to be
transported.
 There are 45 kinesinsin humans
 The plus end directed kinesin have motor domain at N
terminal end, minus end directed have motor domains
at C terminal end. Others have motor domains in the
centre.
Motor proteins
 Dynein may be cytoplasmic or axonemal.
 The tail region may carry cargo
Cargo Transport and Intracellular Organisation
 Helps to carry organelles
 Kinesin carries cargo towards the cell periphery
whereas dynein carries toward the nucleus.
 This helps in positioning ER/Golgi Apparatus.
 Mitochondria may be transported from cell body to
axon
 Neurotransmitter are carried from Golgi apparatus
to terminal branches of axons by kinsens
 Endocytic vesicles move from axon back to cell body
Cargo Transport and Intracellular Organisation
 Kinesin II moves mRNA towards cell cortex in
xenopus oocyte.
 Kinesin I transports actin mRNA in fibroblasts.
 ER is positioned by Kinesin I
 GA is positioned by cytoplasmic dynein.
Cilia and Flagella
 MT based projections
 Cilia are widespread
 Bacterial flagella quite different from eukaryotic flagella
 Bacterial flagella are protein filaments. Eukaryotic
flagella are projection of plasma membrane supported by
MT
 Cilia and flagella are quite similar structures approx 0.25
um.
 Paramecium are covered with cilia
 Flagella differ from cilia in length.
Cilia and Flagella
 Composed of fundamental structure axoneme composed
of MT.
 They are arranged in 9+2 pattern.
 A tubule is complete consisiting of 13 protofilament
 B tubule is incomplete consiisting of 10/11 protofilament
 The outer MT are connected to central pair by radial
spokes and to each other by nexin.
 In addition 2 arms of dyenin are attached to each A
tubule and motor activity of axonemal dynein that drive
cilia and flagella.
Cilia and Flagella
Cilia and flagella
 The basal body have 9+O arrangement
 It initiates growth of axonemal MT
 Movement of cilia and flagella result from sliding of
outer MT doublets relative to one another by motor
activity of axonemal dynein
 Dynein head binds to A tubule whereas tail binds B
tubule binds to B tubule
 Movement of dynein head groups in the minus direction
then causes a tubule of one doublet to slide towards basal
end of adjacent B tubule

Cilia and flagella
Cilia and flagella
 Since two doublets are connected by nexin, sliding
movement helps cilia and flagella to bend.
 This produces wave like oscillation.

Microtubules

  • 1.
    Microtubules Dr. Sarita Nanda BiochemistryDepartment Daulat Ram College
  • 2.
    Characteristics  They are25nm in diameter  They are dynamic structure which continually undergo assembly and disassembly  They determine cell shape, cell locomotion, cell organelle movement, separation of chromosomes during mitosis.  They are made up of monomers tubulin.  The tubulins are alpha and beta. Gamma tubulin is present in centrosome 
  • 3.
    Characteristics  Tubulin dimerspolymerize to form microtubule which is made of 13 linear protofilaments.  The dimers are arranged in head to tail manner in parallel fashion.  They have the fast growing plus end and slow growing minus end.  This gives polarity to microtubule.
  • 4.
    Characteristic  They undergotreadmilling in which fast growing end is adding GTP bound tubulin and minus end is continuously loosing GDP bound from the minus end.  In dynamic instability individual microtubules shrink between cycles of growth and shrinkage.  Dynamic instability is described by Tim Mitchison and Marc Kirschner in 1984.
  • 5.
     Colchicine, colecimid,vincristine, vinblastine , taxol affect polymerisation and block cell division.
  • 6.
  • 7.
    Assembly of Microtubules They extend from centrosome (ist describes Theodor Boveri in 1888  During mitosis microtubules form spindle  Plants don not have organised centrosome  Centrosome is microtubule organising centre (MTOC) in which minus end is anchored. It serves as initiation site for MT assembly.  The key protein of centrosome is gamma tubulin.  Gamma tubulin forms a ring complex.
  • 8.
    characteristic  The centrosomeof animal cell contains a pair of centrioles.  Centrioles are cylindrical structures which contains nine triplets of microtubules.  Centrioles are necessary to form basal body, cilia, flagella.  The peritubular region initiates microtubular assembly.  Centrioles have cartwheel like structure.  Centrioles also include delta tubulin.  Two centrioles are connected by protein called centrin.
  • 9.
    Organisation of Microtubuleswithin Cells  They interact with microtubule associated protein(MAPs)  MAPS stabilise MT by capping their ends  MAPs can also destabilise MT by severing their ends  Several MAPs are plus end tracking proteins. The several identified MAPs are MAP1,2, and TAU  The neurons have dendrites and axons . The plus end of axons are away form the body and in dendrites plus and minus ends are oriented away from the body.  Axons contain tau proteins and no MAP-2 whereas dendrites contain MAP2 but no tau protein
  • 10.
  • 11.
  • 12.
    Microtubules motors andMovement  The two motor protein responsible for motor movement are kinesin and dyenin  Kinesin moves towards plus end  Dynein moves towards negative end.  Dyenin was isolated by Ian Gibbons in 1965.  Motor protien was observed by video-enhanced microscopy.(developed by Robert Allen and shinya Inoue in 1980. )  These were observed in squid axons.
  • 13.
    Motor Proteins  Kinesinwas identified By Brady, Ronald Vale, thomas Reese and Michael Sheetz in squid axons and bovine brains in 1985.  Kinesin translocates towards plus end and dyenin translocates towards minus end.  Kinesin I is a molecule of 380KD consisting of two heavy chains of 120 kD and two light chains of 64kd each.  It is similar to myosin which also moves towards postive end and has molecular weight of 500kd.
  • 14.
    Motor proteins  Cytoplasmicdynein is extremely large protein of 2000kd. It consists of two heavy chains of 500kd and variable number of light and inermediate chains  The molecule has head and a tail portion.  The head binds to ATP and moves on MT The tail binds the organellles which have to be transported.  There are 45 kinesinsin humans  The plus end directed kinesin have motor domain at N terminal end, minus end directed have motor domains at C terminal end. Others have motor domains in the centre.
  • 15.
    Motor proteins  Dyneinmay be cytoplasmic or axonemal.  The tail region may carry cargo
  • 16.
    Cargo Transport andIntracellular Organisation  Helps to carry organelles  Kinesin carries cargo towards the cell periphery whereas dynein carries toward the nucleus.  This helps in positioning ER/Golgi Apparatus.  Mitochondria may be transported from cell body to axon  Neurotransmitter are carried from Golgi apparatus to terminal branches of axons by kinsens  Endocytic vesicles move from axon back to cell body
  • 17.
    Cargo Transport andIntracellular Organisation  Kinesin II moves mRNA towards cell cortex in xenopus oocyte.  Kinesin I transports actin mRNA in fibroblasts.  ER is positioned by Kinesin I  GA is positioned by cytoplasmic dynein.
  • 18.
    Cilia and Flagella MT based projections  Cilia are widespread  Bacterial flagella quite different from eukaryotic flagella  Bacterial flagella are protein filaments. Eukaryotic flagella are projection of plasma membrane supported by MT  Cilia and flagella are quite similar structures approx 0.25 um.  Paramecium are covered with cilia  Flagella differ from cilia in length.
  • 19.
    Cilia and Flagella Composed of fundamental structure axoneme composed of MT.  They are arranged in 9+2 pattern.  A tubule is complete consisiting of 13 protofilament  B tubule is incomplete consiisting of 10/11 protofilament  The outer MT are connected to central pair by radial spokes and to each other by nexin.  In addition 2 arms of dyenin are attached to each A tubule and motor activity of axonemal dynein that drive cilia and flagella.
  • 20.
  • 21.
    Cilia and flagella The basal body have 9+O arrangement  It initiates growth of axonemal MT  Movement of cilia and flagella result from sliding of outer MT doublets relative to one another by motor activity of axonemal dynein  Dynein head binds to A tubule whereas tail binds B tubule binds to B tubule  Movement of dynein head groups in the minus direction then causes a tubule of one doublet to slide towards basal end of adjacent B tubule 
  • 22.
  • 23.
    Cilia and flagella Since two doublets are connected by nexin, sliding movement helps cilia and flagella to bend.  This produces wave like oscillation.