Ring-shaped assembly of microtubules shows preferential counterclockwise motion.
In this paper, we reveal that microtubules (MTs), reconstructed from tubulin in vitro in the presence of guanosine-5'-triphosphate (GTP), have a ring or spiral shape on a motor protein-fixed surface, and these MTs show biased motion in the counterclockwise direction. By cross-linking these MTs during the sliding motion, we obtained large ring-shaped MT assemblies, 1 approximately 12.6 microm in diameter. The ratio of the rings rotating in the counterclockwise direction to those rotating in the clockwise direction was approximately 3/1. Under optimized conditions, the ratio was as high as 14/1. Thus, we successfully obtained aggregated MTs with a large hierarchic structure that shows a preferential motion, through a dynamic process in vitro.
Kawamura
Ryuzo
R
Division of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan.
Kakugo
Akira
A
Shikinaka
Kazuhiro
K
Osada
Yoshihito
Y
Gong
Jian Ping
JP
D001710:Biotin / Q000737:chemistry; D006160:Guanosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D016547:Kinesins / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D008870:Microtubules / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D009068:Movement; D010316:Particle Size; D012235:Rhodamines / Q000737:chemistry; D012399:Rotation; D013194:Staining and Labeling; D013499:Surface Properties; D013997:Time Factors; D014404:Tubulin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism
D012235:Rhodamines; D014404:Tubulin; D001710:Biotin; D006160:Guanosine Triphosphate; D016547:Kinesins