Abstract
The organization of micron-sized, multi-microtubule arrays from individual microtubules is essential for diverse cellular functions. The microtubule polymer is largely viewed as a passive building block during the organization process. An exception is the ‘tubulin code’ where alterations to tubulin at the amino acid level can influence the activity of microtubule-associated proteins. Recent studies reveal that micron-scale geometrical features of individual microtubules and polymer networks, such as microtubule length, overlap length, contact angle, and lattice defects, can also regulate the activity of microtubule-associated proteins and modulate polymer dynamics. We discuss how the interplay between such geometrical properties of the microtubule lattice and the activity of associated proteins direct multiple aspects of array organization, from microtubule nucleation and coalignment to specification of array dimensions and remodeling of dynamic networks. The mechanisms reviewed here highlight micron-sized features of microtubules as critical parameters to be routinely investigated in the study of microtubule self-organization.
Highlights
Self-organization is a recurrent theme in biology, evident across multiple length scales ranging from the oscillations of nanometer-sized signaling molecules in the cytoplasm to the formation of micronsized cellular organelles and the patterning of millimeter-sized tissues
One of the best cellular systems for elucidating the principles of self-organization is the microtubule cytoskeleton, where dynamic microtubule polymers are organized into micron-sized arrays (Karsenti, 2008)
The features of the microtubule lattice that provide this information fall into two categories: (i) structural defects on the microtubule lattice such as missing tubulin subunits or changes in protofilament arrangement and (ii) size and relative arrangement of polymers, specified by parameters such as microtubule length, and the overlap length or contact angle between two adjacent polymers. These micron-scale geometrical features along with the nanometer-scale tubulin code modulate the dynamics of individual polymers and regulate the activity of associated microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs)
Summary
Self-organization is a recurrent theme in biology, evident across multiple length scales ranging from the oscillations of nanometer-sized signaling molecules in the cytoplasm to the formation of micronsized cellular organelles and the patterning of millimeter-sized tissues. The features of the microtubule lattice that provide this information fall into two categories: (i) structural defects on the microtubule lattice such as missing tubulin subunits or changes in protofilament arrangement and (ii) size and relative arrangement of polymers, specified by parameters such as microtubule length, and the overlap length or contact angle between two adjacent polymers Together, these micron-scale geometrical features along with the nanometer-scale tubulin code modulate the dynamics of individual polymers and regulate the activity of associated MAPs. we discuss how regulation by geometrical features of lattices is central to several processes involved in building a multi-microtubule array and determining its architecture. We discuss the mechanisms by which these geometrical features regulate MAPs, and highlight how the interplay between geometrical parameters and MAP activity sculpt cellular arrays
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