Biomaterial Database

Interference of GTP hydrolysis in the mechanism of microtubule assembly: an experimental study. 1984

M F Carlier, and T L Hill, and Y Chen

This paper reports an experimental study of the interference of GTP hydrolysis in the mechanism of microtubule assembly, following the model and theory previously published [Hill, T. L. & Carlier, M.-F. (1983) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 80, 7234-7238]. Results from dilution experiments show that microtubules depolymerize faster below the critical concentration than expected with a reversible polymerization model. The experimental plot of flux versus tubulin concentration exhibits a slope discontinuity at the critical concentration, in agreement with the theory. Theoretical points calculated by the Monte Carlo method can be fitted qualitatively to the data. A consequence of this peculiar dynamic behavior of microtubules is that the ratio of tubulin dissociation and association rate constants measured, respectively, below and above the critical concentration does not yield the true value of the critical concentration. It is emphasized that the presence of GTP at microtubule ends is necessary to maintain the stability of the polymer.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007700	Kinetics	The rate dynamics in chemical or physical systems.
D008433	Mathematics	The deductive study of shape, quantity, and dependence. (From McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 6th ed)	Mathematic
D008870	Microtubules	Slender, cylindrical filaments found in the cytoskeleton of plant and animal cells. They are composed of the protein TUBULIN and are influenced by TUBULIN MODULATORS.	Microtubule
D008954	Models, Biological	Theoretical representations that simulate the behavior or activity of biological processes or diseases. For disease models in living animals, DISEASE MODELS, ANIMAL is available. Biological models include the use of mathematical equations, computers, and other electronic equipment.	Biological Model,Biological Models,Model, Biological,Models, Biologic,Biologic Model,Biologic Models,Model, Biologic
D006160	Guanosine Triphosphate	Guanosine 5'-(tetrahydrogen triphosphate). A guanine nucleotide containing three phosphate groups esterified to the sugar moiety.	GTP,Triphosphate, Guanosine
D006868	Hydrolysis	The process of cleaving a chemical compound by the addition of a molecule of water.
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D014404	Tubulin	A microtubule subunit protein found in large quantities in mammalian brain. It has also been isolated from SPERM FLAGELLUM; CILIA; and other sources. Structurally, the protein is a dimer with a molecular weight of approximately 120,000 and a sedimentation coefficient of 5.8S. It binds to COLCHICINE; VINCRISTINE; and VINBLASTINE.	alpha-Tubulin,beta-Tubulin,delta-Tubulin,epsilon-Tubulin,gamma-Tubulin,alpha Tubulin,beta Tubulin,delta Tubulin,epsilon Tubulin,gamma Tubulin
D046911	Macromolecular Substances	Compounds and molecular complexes that consist of very large numbers of atoms and are generally over 500 kDa in size. In biological systems macromolecular substances usually can be visualized using ELECTRON MICROSCOPY and are distinguished from ORGANELLES by the lack of a membrane structure.	Macromolecular Complexes,Macromolecular Compounds,Macromolecular Compounds and Complexes,Complexes, Macromolecular,Compounds, Macromolecular,Substances, Macromolecular