N-MYC DOWNREGULATED-LIKE proteins (NDL), members of the alpha/beta hydrolase superfamily were recently rediscovered as interactors of G-protein signaling in Arabidopsis thaliana. Although the precise molecular function of NDL proteins is still elusive, in animals these proteins play protective role in hypoxia and expression is induced by hypoxia and nickel, indicating role in stress. Homology o...

Synthesis of myofibrillar proteins in the diffusion-restricted adult cardiocyte requires microtubule-based active transport of mRNAs as part of messenger ribonucleoprotein particles (mRNPs) to translation sites adjacent to nascent myofibrils. This is especially important for compensatory hypertrophy in response to hemodynamic overloading. The hypothesis tested here is that excessive microtubule...

Laser photon correlation spectroscopy and analytical ultracentrifugation were used to compare the equilibrium properties of disassembled, assembly-competent, brain microtubule protein from dogfish (Squalus acanthus) and beef. Analytical ultracentrifugation confirmed that assembly-competent bovine material at 4 degrees C, purified in the presence of glycerol through 2 cycles of assembly and disa...

The centrosomal protein gamma-tubulin is part of a ring-shaped complex that can induce microtubule polymerization. This complex may explain how the centrosome nucleates microtubule polymerization, and thereby organizes the microtubule cytoskeleton.

Differential stability of kinetochore-microtubule attachments at low versus high tension is critical for accurate chromosome segregation. Miller et al. find that a TOG domain microtubule-binding protein imparts intrinsic tension selectivity to kinetochore-microtubule attachments.