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Thermal hysteresis in microtubule assembly/disassembly dynamics: The aging-induced degradation of tubulin dimers.
- Source :
-
Biochemistry and biophysics reports [Biochem Biophys Rep] 2022 Jan 08; Vol. 29, pp. 101199. Date of Electronic Publication: 2022 Jan 08 (Print Publication: 2022). - Publication Year :
- 2022
-
Abstract
- The assembly/disassembly of biological macromolecules plays an important role in their biological functionalities. Although the dynamics of tubulin polymers and their super-assembly into microtubule structures is critical for many cellular processes, details of their cyclical polymerization/depolymerization are not fully understood. Here, we use a specially designed light scattering technique to continuously examine the effects of temperature cycling on the process of microtubule assembly/disassembly. We observe a thermal hysteresis loop during tubulin assembly/disassembly, consistently with earlier reports on the coexistence of tubulin and microtubules as a phase transition. In a cyclical process, the structural hysteresis has a kinetic component that depends on the rate of temperature change but also an intrinsic thermodynamic component that depends on the protein topology, possibly related to irreversible processes. Analyzing the evolution of such thermal hysteresis loops over successive cycles, we found that the assembly/disassembly ceases after some time, which is indicative of protein aging leading to its inability to self-assemble after a finite number of temperature cycles. The emergence of assembly-incompetent tubulin could have major consequences for human pathologies related to microtubules, including aging, neurodegenerative diseases and cancer.<br />Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.<br /> (© 2021 Published by Elsevier B.V.)
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 2405-5808
- Volume :
- 29
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Biochemistry and biophysics reports
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 35036585
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbrep.2021.101199