title: Synchrotron X-ray diffraction study of microtubules buckling and bundling under osmotic stress: a probe of interprotofilament interactions.
abstract: Microtubules are hollow cylinders composed of tubulin heterodimers that stack into linear protofilaments that interact laterally to form the microtubule wall. Synchrotron x-ray diffraction of microtubules under increasing osmotic stress shows they transition to rectangular bundles with noncircular buckled cross sections, followed by hexagonally packed bundles. This new technique probes the strength of interprotofilamen bonds, yielding insight into the mechanism by which associated proteins and the chemotherapy drug taxol stabilize microtubules.
authors.affiliation: Materials Department, Physics Department, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Needleman
authors.forename: Miguel A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Ojeda-Lopez
authors.forename: Uri
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Raviv
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ewert
authors.forename: Jayna B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Herbert P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Leslie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: Cyrus R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Safinya
mesh_terms: D006160:Guanosine Triphosphate / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D008870:Microtubules / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D009997:Osmotic Pressure; D017239:Paclitaxel / Q000737:chemistry; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000737:chemistry; D017356:Synchrotrons; D014404:Tubulin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D014404:Tubulin; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D006160:Guanosine Triphosphate; D017239:Paclitaxel