Dimethyl sulfoxide induces microtubule formation in cultured arterial smooth muscle cells.

Prolonged exposure of cultured arterial smooth muscle cells to 1% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) resulted in a remarkable increase in cytoplasmic microtubules and an appearance of bundle-like aggregates of microtubules associated with ribosomes (microtubule-ribosome-complex). In this complex, fine filaments of 8 to 16 nm diameter were interspersed, some of which displayed continuity with the microtubules and were studded with a single array of ribosomes. The microtubule-ribosome-complex may represent an unusual aggregate of microtubules containing incompletely polymerized forms of newly synthesized tubulin induced by prolonged effect of DMSO.