exam 3b missing lecture Flashcards
What are the three filament systems?
Actin filaments, microtubules, intermediate filaments
Two kinds of microtubules
Alpha-tubulin, beta-tubulin
Size of microtubules? What do they bind to?
50 kDa globular GTP-binding proteins
What kind of enzyme activity does beta-tubulin have? What does it form?
GTPase activity. It forms heterodimers.
How do microtubule heterodimers assemble? What do they form?
Head-to-tail. They form a protofilament.
How is a microtubule hollow tube formed? What is its diameter?
13 protofilaments assemble side-by-side to form a protofilament. Its diameter is 25 nm.
Where is there structural polarity in microtubule structures? What does that mean?
Within heterodimer, protofilament and microtubule itself. One positive end and one negative end.
What is the length of a microtubule?
50 nm
Describe microtubule and its GTP activity
It includes one alpha tubulin and one beta tubulin stacked on top of each other. The GTP of the beta tubulin is exchangeable and hydrolyzable. The GTP of the alpha tubulin is nonexchangeable and nonhydrolyzable.
Let’s assemble microtubules in vitro. What do we need?
We need purified tubulin plus MG2+ plus GTP
Microtubule in vitro assembly conditions (temp) for animal tubulin.
37 degrees Celsius
Rate of assembly equation? Rate is dependent on?
konC. Dependent on concentration of monomer.
Rate of disassembly equation? Disassembly rate is dependent on?
Koff. Dependent on nothing. Disassembly rate is independent of monomer concentration.
What is equilibrium equation?
konC = koff, so Cc = koff/kon
Is GTP hydrolysis required for assembly?
No
How does Conc of monomer compare to Cc when assembly occurs? What is the free energy change?
Conc of monomer is above Cc, and the free energy change is zero. (which is what it has to be in order for assembly to be done)
How does Conc of monomer compare to Cc when disassembly occurs? What is the free energy rate?
Conc of monomer is below Cc, and the free energy change is above zero.
When a tubulin is assembled onto a bundle of parallel microtubules, when end of polarity does it prefer?
The plus end
What does GTP tubulin have a high affinity for?
Microtubule ends
In microtubule, at what rate does beta-tubulin hydrolyze GTP?
At stochastic (random) rate
When might GTP hydrolysis catch up with microtubule assembly? What happens to GDP tubulin at that point?
When the rate of assembly slows. At that point, GDP tubulin at the end will be exposed.
Does GDP tubulin have high affinity for microtubule?
No. it has low affinity. So when it is uncapped, there is rapid disassembly.
What does GTP tubulin cap assembly do?
It stabilizes GDP and allows for regrowth.
How does GTP hydrolysis work to disassemble microtubules?
GTP hydrolysis changes the dimer subunit (alpha and beta subunit) conformation. It weakens the bond in the polymer and changes a straight protofilament into a curved protofilament. Changing GTP to GDP weakens the bond between the polymers and causes depolymerization, leaving a single GDP-tubulin dimer that can only bind to another polymer once its GDP has been exchanged for GTP. This is called dynamic instability.
Does dynamic instability of microtubules occur only in vitro?
No. it occurs both in vitro and in vivo.
At what ends of the microtubule does dynamic instability occur?
Both plus and minus ends, but Cc differs at the two ends due to GTP hydrolysis.
When are minus ends often capped in microtubules?
In vivo.
For microtubules what is catrastrophe? Rescue?
Disassembly is catastrophe. Rescue is reassembly.
What regulates dynamic disassembly?
Cells
Half life of microtubules in interphase cells? In mitotic cells?
In interphase cells, 10 minutes. In mitotic cells, less than 2 min.
What happens to cytoskeleton during cell division?
Extensive remodeling of the microtubule cytoskeleton. Polymerization and depolymerization.
How dos drug Taxol (paclitaxel) affect microtubules?
It binds and stabilizes microtubules, inhibiting dynamics.
How do colchicine and colcemid affect microtubules?
Bind microtubule subunits and prevent their polymerization
How do Vinblastine, vincristine affect microtubules?
Bind microtubule subunits and prevent their polymerization
How does Nocodzole affect microtubules?
It binds subunits and prevents their polymerization