Cell Biology and Biophysics Unit, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA; Biochemistry and Biophysics Center, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Dev Cell. 2020 Jul 6;54(1):7-20. doi: 10.1016/j.devcel.2020.06.008.
Microtubules are non-covalent mesoscale polymers central to the eukaryotic cytoskeleton. Microtubule structure, dynamics, and mechanics are modulated by a cell's choice of tubulin isoforms and post-translational modifications, a "tubulin code," which is thought to support the diverse morphology and dynamics of microtubule arrays across various cell types, cell cycle, and developmental stages. We give a brief historical overview of research into tubulin diversity and highlight recent progress toward uncovering the mechanistic underpinnings of the tubulin code. As a large number of essential pathways converge upon the microtubule cytoskeleton, understanding how cells utilize tubulin diversity is crucial to understanding cellular physiology and disease.
微管是真核细胞骨架中重要的非共价介观聚合物。微管的结构、动态和力学性质受到细胞选择的微管蛋白同工型和翻译后修饰的调节，这种调节被称为“微管蛋白密码”，它被认为支持了各种细胞类型、细胞周期和发育阶段的微管阵列的多样化形态和动力学。我们简要回顾了对微管蛋白多样性的研究，并重点介绍了揭示微管蛋白密码的机械基础的最新进展。由于大量的关键途径都集中在微管细胞骨架上，因此了解细胞如何利用微管蛋白多样性对于理解细胞生理学和疾病至关重要。
