Downing K H, Nogales E
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
Curr Opin Cell Biol. 1998 Feb;10(1):16-22. doi: 10.1016/s0955-0674(98)80082-3.
Our knowledge of microtubule structure and its relationship to microtubule function continue to grow. Cryo-electron microscopy has given us new images of the microtubule polymerization and depolymerization processes and of the interaction of these polymers with motor proteins. We now know more about the effect of nucleotide state on the structure and dynamic instability of microtubules. The atomic model of tubulin, very recently obtained by electron crystallography, is bringing new insight into the properties of this protein and its self-assembly into microtubules, and promises to inspire new experimental efforts that should lead us to an understanding of the microtubule system at the molecular level.
我们对微管结构及其与微管功能关系的认识不断深入。冷冻电子显微镜为我们提供了微管聚合和解聚过程以及这些聚合物与驱动蛋白相互作用的新图像。我们现在对核苷酸状态对微管结构和动态不稳定性的影响有了更多了解。最近通过电子晶体学获得的微管蛋白原子模型，为这种蛋白质的特性及其自组装成微管带来了新的见解，并有望激发新的实验努力，引领我们在分子水平上理解微管系统。
