Oakley Berl R, Paolillo Vitoria, Zheng Yixian
Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045
Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045.
Mol Biol Cell. 2015 Sep 1;26(17):2957-62. doi: 10.1091/mbc.E14-11-1514.
Tremendous progress has been made in understanding the functions of γ-tubulin and, in particular, its role in microtubule nucleation since the publication of its discovery in 1989. The structure of γ-tubulin has been determined, and the components of γ-tubulin complexes have been identified. Significant progress in understanding the structure of the γ-tubulin ring complex and its components has led to a persuasive model for how these complexes nucleate microtubule assembly. At the same time, data have accumulated that γ-tubulin has important but less well understood functions that are not simply a consequence of its function in microtubule nucleation. These include roles in the regulation of plus-end microtubule dynamics, gene regulation, and mitotic and cell cycle regulation. Finally, evidence is emerging that γ-tubulin mutations or alterations of γ-tubulin expression play an important role in certain types of cancer and in other diseases.
自1989年γ-微管蛋白被发现以来，在理解其功能，尤其是在微管成核中的作用方面取得了巨大进展。γ-微管蛋白的结构已被确定，并且γ-微管蛋白复合物的组成成分也已被识别。在理解γ-微管蛋白环复合物及其组成成分的结构方面取得的重大进展，已形成了一个关于这些复合物如何介导微管组装的有说服力的模型。与此同时，积累的数据表明，γ-微管蛋白具有重要但尚未被充分理解的功能，这些功能并非仅仅是其在微管成核中功能的结果。这些功能包括在微管正端动力学调节、基因调控以及有丝分裂和细胞周期调控中的作用。最后，有证据表明，γ-微管蛋白突变或γ-微管蛋白表达的改变在某些类型的癌症和其他疾病中起着重要作用。
