BIOL 201 Lecture Notes - Lecture 16: Tubulin, Microtubule, Gtpase
Document Summary
Biol 201 cell biology and metabolism-lecture 16 microtubules: stiff, and can withstand compressive forces, early observation first discovered in plant cells: porter filaments (hollow tubules, made of individual units) Functions: structural support and long range transport. Bring vesicles from plasma to nucleus or the from nucleus to plasma. Road way for transport forms mitotic spindle during mitosis: backbone of neurons. Bundles of thick microtubules drives out axons and dendrites determine morphology: form functional structures such as cilia and flagella. Cilia in trachea beat mucus out of the airway. Even immobile cells produce primary cilia: antenna for signaling molecules such as growth factors. Loss of antenna leads to disease of misplaced organs in the body plan (in embryo) (e. g. reversed position) Alpha and beta tubulin are individually synthesized, after they come together, the dimer subunit behave like a monomer. Minus end has exposed a tubulin; plus end has exposed b tubulin.
