title: Thirteen is the lucky number for doublecortin.
abstract: Doublecortin is a microtubule-associated protein that is essential for normal brain development. A recent report published in Molecular Cell shows that doublecortin associates preferentially with microtubules made of 13 protofilaments, by recognizing a novel site between the protofilaments. These findings explain how doublecortin stabilizes microtubules and provide clues about its function during neuronal migration.
authors.affiliation: MGC Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Erasmus Medical Center, 3000 DR Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Akhmanova
authors.forename: Fedor
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Severin
mesh_terms: D008841:Actin Cytoskeleton / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology* / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D000089622:Doublecortin Domain Proteins; D006801:Humans; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008870:Microtubules / Q000378:metabolism*; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000089622:Doublecortin Domain Proteins; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D009479:Neuropeptides