Abstract
Author SummaryEukaryotic cells assemble a variety of cytoskeletal structures from a set of highly conserved building blocks. For example, all microtubules are generated by the polymerization of a common α/β-tubulin subunit, yet cells can contain diverse, discrete populations of microtubule structures such as axonemes, spindles, and radial arrays. This diversity must be read and translated by cellular components in order to carry out population-specific functions. We use single-molecule imaging to study how molecular motors navigate the heterogeneous microtubule populations present in interphase cells. We show that different kinesin motors select different subpopulations of microtubules for transport. This selectivity, based solely on the motor-microtubule interface, may enable kinesin motors to segregate transport events to distinct microtubule populations and thus to target cargoes to specific subcellular destinations.
Highlights
Understanding how cells generate intracellular structures and overall morphologies is one of the major goals of cell biology
All microtubules are generated by the polymerization of a common a/b-tubulin subunit yet diverse microtubule populations can be generated that carry out distinct functions
We show that Kinesin-1 motors move preferentially along stable microtubules marked by post-translational modification (PTM) whereas Kinesin-2 (KIF17) and Kinesin-3 (KIF1A) motors can utilize dynamic microtubule tracks
Summary
Understanding how cells generate intracellular structures and overall morphologies is one of the major goals of cell biology. All microtubules are generated by the polymerization of a common a/b-tubulin subunit yet diverse microtubule populations can be generated (e.g., axonemes, spindles, and radial arrays) that carry out distinct functions. One way microtubule diversity can be characterized is based on dynamic properties [1]. Some microtubules are dynamic and turn over rapidly by alternating between periods of microtubule growth (polymerization) and shrinkage (depolymerization). Microtubules frequently pause, undergoing neither polymerization nor depolymerization [2]. Microtubule diversity can be characterized by structural differences, for example alterations in protofilament number, as well as by chemical differences between tubulin subunits due to differences in the expression of tubulin genes (isotypes) or the presence of posttranslational modifications (PTMs) [1,3,4,5]
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