MTBindingSim: simulate protein binding to microtubules

MTBindingSim: simulate protein binding to microtubules

SUMMARY Many protein-protein interactions are more complex than can be accounted for by 1:1 binding models. However, biochemists have few tools available to help them recognize and predict the behaviors of these more complicated systems, making it difficult to design experiments that distinguish between possible binding models. MTBindingSim provides researchers with an environment in which they...

Silver Resistance In Acinetobacter baumannii BL54 Occurs Through Binding to a Ag-Binding Protein

The mechanism of plasmid mediated silver (Ag) resistance was investigated in Acinetobacter baumanniiBL54. The intracellular accumulation of Ag in both original strain BL54 and Escherichia coli K12transconjugant containing plasmid pUPI276 began immediately and reached a maximum within 60 minutes.This initial accumulation was followed by net loss of Ag which reached a maximum wi...

Binding to Microtubules Cytoplasmic Dynein Mediates Adenovirus

Electrostatically Biased Binding of Kinesin to Microtubules

The minimum motor domain of kinesin-1 is a single head. Recent evidence suggests that such minimal motor domains generate force by a biased binding mechanism, in which they preferentially select binding sites on the microtubule that lie ahead in the progress direction of the motor. A specific molecular mechanism for biased binding has, however, so far been lacking. Here we use atomistic Brownia...

Tau induces cooperative Taxol binding to microtubules.

Taxol and tau are two ligands that stabilize the microtubule (MT) lattice. Taxol is an anti-mitotic drug that binds beta tubulin in the MT interior. Tau is a MT-associated protein that binds both alpha and beta tubulin on the MT exterior. Both Taxol and tau reduce MT dynamics and promote tubulin polymerization. Tau alone also acts to bundle, stiffen, and space MTs. A structural study recently s...