Microtubules acquire resistance from mechanical breakage through intralumenal acetylation

Abstract

Cells need microtubules for intracellular transport and to avoid being crushed. On investigating microtubule breakage in live fibroblasts, Xu et al. found that if they were not acetylated, long-lived microtubules underwent frequent rupture after buckling. Acetylation makes microtubules more mechanically stable, facilitates sliding between filaments, and makes the lattice more plastic.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Apr 21, 2017
Source ID
10.1126/science.aai8764

Entities

People

  • Andrea Aguilar
  • Didier Portran
  • Jérémie Gaillard
  • Laura Schaedel
  • M. Peter Marinkovich
  • Manuel Théry
  • Maxence V. Nachury
  • Zhenjie Xu

Organizations

  • Agence Nationale de la Recherche
  • European Research Council
  • Human Frontier Science Program
  • National Cancer Institute
  • National Institute of General Medical Sciences
  • Stanford University
  • United States Department of Defense

Tags

Readers

  • Breast cancer cell signaling and growth regulation.
  • Nanocomposite Materials Science
  • Structural Health Monitoring of Composite Structures.