The specific inhibitory effect of colchicine upon protein secretion by lacrimal glands could be related to the formation of a complex between colchicine and tubulin from the soluble fraction of the gland. By gel electrophoresis under nondissociating conditions, it is shown that this complex is similar to the colchicine . tubulin complex from brain. The complex isolated from lacrimal glands is h...

To ascertain the exact anti-myeloma mechanism of thalidomide in vivo, we performed structural development studies of thalidomide, and obtained various analogues with specific molecular properties. Among these derivatives, we found that a new thalidomide analogue, 2-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-5-hydroxy-1H-isoindole-1,3-dione (5HPP-33) had the most potent anti-myeloma effect and tubulin-polymerizati...

OBJECTIVE(S) Crocin, as the main carotenoid of saffron, has shown anti-tumor activity both in vitro and in vivo. Crocin might interact with cellular proteins and modulate their functions, but the exact target of this carotenoid and the other compounds of the saffron have not been discovered yet. Microtubular proteins, as one of the most important proteins inside the cells, have several function...

An understanding of the regulation of microtubule polymerization and dynamics in plant cells requires biochemical information on the structures, functions, and molecular interactions of plant tubulin and microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) that regulate microtubule function. We have probed the regulatory domain and polymerization domain of purified maize tubulin using MAP2, an extensively ch...

The tubulin-rich fraction was also shown to contain a protein subunit, of mol.wt. 46000f 1500, identified as actin by co-electrophoresis with skeletal-muscle actin. Although actin can be removed from brain tubulin preparations by repeated cycles of depolymerization/polymerization, its total removal from the platelet tubulin-rich fraction is most difEcult. In addition to tubulin and actin, three...

A series of 1,4-disubstituted-3,4-dihydroisoquinoline derivatives designed as tubulin polymerization inhibitors were synthesized. Their cytotoxic activities against the CEM leukemia cell line were evaluated. Most of them displayed moderate cytotoxic activities, and compounds 21 and 32 showed good activities with IC50 of 4.10 and 0.64 μM, respectively. The most potent compound 32 was further con...

Free and polymerized tubulin were measured in bone cells and Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells cultured on plastic substrata. Polymerized tubulin was stabilized in a microtubule- stabilizing medium (MSM) containing 50 percent glycerol and separated from free tubulin by centrifugation. Tubulin content was assayed in both fractions by the colchicines- binding assay. The measured degree of polymer...

The tubulin polymerization and Src kinase signaling inhibitor tirbanibulin is being investigated as a topical treatment for actinic keratosis, precursor of squamous-cell carcinoma.

The free sulfhydryls of brain tubulin prepared by cyclic polymerization procedures both with and without glycerol have been examined. The average free sulfhydryl titer of tubulin prepared with glycerol (7.0 sulfhydryls/55,000 mol wt) is greater than that of tubulin prepared without glycerol (4.0 sulfhydryls/55,000 mol wt). Diamide, a sulfhydryl-oxidizing agent, inhibits the polymerization of tu...