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Microtubule breakdown

ID Number
2321

Description
Like a building supported by a steel frame, a cell contains its own sturdy internal scaffolding made up of proteins, including microtubules. Researchers studying snapshots of microtubules have proposed a model for how these structural elements shorten and lengthen, allowing a cell to move, divide, or change shape. This picture shows an intermediate step in the model: Smaller building blocks called tubulins peel back from the microtubule in thin strips. Knowing the operations of the internal scaffolding will enhance our basic understanding of cellular processes.

Featured in the July 18, 2006, issue of Biomedical Beat.

Type
Illustration

Source
Eva Nogales, University of California, Berkeley

Credit Line
Eva Nogales, University of California, Berkeley

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